BT  301  .  S642  1917 
Sperow,  Everett  H. 

The  silent  Nazarene 


L&I67 

5  j>-< 


\ 


/ 


A 


L  i  b  m  rv  o4  1 1  cO  o  w  5  lACf'h  t* 

J  J  c>  «-> 


^-r'*  -  v  fiF 

oV,'jV»  ‘  Ci*  1  > 

Vi‘  <■  •& 

L&N  21  1918 


THE 


A 


SISAL  SE#^ 


SILENT  NAZARENE 


BY 


EVERETT  H.  SPEROW,  A.M.,  B.D. 


By  the  Author  of  “ The  Rose  of  Sharon ’ 


BOSTON:  THE  GORHAM  PRESS 

TORONTO:  THE  COPP  CLARK  CO.,  LIMITED 


Copyright,  1917,  by  Everett  H.  Sperow 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 


The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


TO 

MY  MOTHER 

WHO  WAS  MY  FIRST  TEACHER, 
AND  WHOSE  MEMORY  IS  SACRED, 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  IN  GRATEFUL  AFFECTION 


./ 


4 


t 


/ 


✓ 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  HOW  HE  CAME  FORTH . 9 


What  He  Was — Our  Vindicator — The  Quiet 
Life  in  Nazareth — At  the  Age  of  Twelve — The 
Baptism — The  Temptation — They  Followed 
Him — They  Eyed  Him — The  Prayer. 

II.  HOW  HE  GAVE  AUTHORITY  TO  THE 


NEW  TEACHING . 81 

The  New  Teaching — Legion — Compassion  on 
the  Multitude. 

III.  HOW  HE  FOUND  FAITH  IN  THE 

EARTH . 95 


Why  Miracle f — The  Paralytic — The  Leper — 

The  Womans  Touch — The  Centurions  Faith 
— The  Nobleman  s  Faith — The  Syrophcenician 
Woman — “And  He  Healed  Many” — The 
New  Birth — The  Living  Water — The  Sinful 
Woman  Forgiven. 

IV.  HOW  HE  ENTERED  THE  SHADOW 

OF  THE  CROSS . 165 

The  Break  with  the  Pharisees — The  Great  Con¬ 
fession — The  Transfiguration — The  Epileptic — 

The  Entrance  of  the  King — The  Great  Con¬ 
solation — The  Passover. 


5 


Contents 


6 

CHAPTER 

V.  HOW  HE  TOOK  UP  HIS  CROSS  .  .  . 

Gethsemane — The  Betrayal — Judas — The  San¬ 
hedrin — The  Denial — Christ  Before  Pilate — 
The  Crucifixion. 

VI.  HOW  HE  CAME  FORTH  AGAIN  .  .  . 

They  Bar  His  Tomb — The  Resurrection — The 
Waiting. 


PAGE 

195 


269 


1 


HOW  HE  CAME  FORTH 


THE  SILENT  NAZARENE 


WHAT  HE  WAS 

The  only  creed  that’s  worth  the  name, 
Must  grow  from  out  the  need ; 

A  fire  from  God — a  sacred  flame — 

The  life  of  Christ  indeed . 

THE  object  of  this  little  work  is  not  to 
set  forth  a  life  of  Christ;  nor  yet  to  dis¬ 
cuss  doctrine;  nor  even  attempt  any  critical 
analysis  either  textual  or  otherwise:  but  its 
simple  aim  is  to  make  emphatic  what  Christ 
was  as  the  all  important  factor  in  determining 
the  value  of  what  he  said  and  did.  Christ 
was  more  than  anything  he  ever  said  or  did, 
just  as  the  Creator  is  more  than  the  product 
of  His  creation,  however  important  that  prod¬ 
uct  may  be.  The  miracles  apart  from  Christ 
would  be  dim  and  shadowy,  but  associated 
with  him  they  are  both  reasonable  and  natu¬ 
ral  :  by  this  is  meant  they  are  what  would  be 


10 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


expected  from  one  who  had  such  a  grip  upon 
the  centre  of  infinite  possibilities,  'and  are 
natural  out  of  such  a  supreme  faith  to  work 
out  possibilities.  No  one  can  read  Matt. 
1 1 :  27  without  saying,  Here  is  a  person  that 
makes  extraordinary  claims  for  himself.  But 
when  we  turn  to  the  gospels  we  find  the  per¬ 
son  making  these  claims  living  in  harmony 
with  them.  He  goes  at  his  work  as  one  fully  ac¬ 
quainted  with  God — he  claims  that  he  finds 
no  break  between  his  character  and  that  of 
the  being  of  God  himself.  This  gives  him  a 
place  to  himself  and  distinguishes  him  from 
the  rest  of  mortals.  He  lives  first  before 
he  says;  what  he  lives  is  but  an  expression  of 
what  he  is.  He  lived  it  first  among  the  few, 
but  now  it  is  gone  even  into  the  most  obscure 
places  of  the  earth,  and  has  as  a  silent  leaven 
modified  the  lives  of  men  of  every  rank  and 
description  in  some  way:  even  if  they  are  not 
Christians  they  are  yet  under  the  rule  and 
influence  of  Christianity  whether  they  will  or 
not,  and  too  the  heathen  nations  recognize 
that  there  is  something  extraordinary  about 
those  nations  that  have  to  do  with  this  Man  of 
Nazareth.  Jesus  said:  “No  man  knoweth 
the  Son,  but  the  Father;  neither  knoweth  any 
man  the  Father  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom- 


How  He  Came  Forth  1 1 

soever  the  Son  will  reveal  him.”  He  held 
common  knowledge  with  the  Father.  He  was 
on  easy,  familiar  terms  with  God.  Also  “He 
knew  what  was  in  man.”  So  knowing  both 
God  and  man  he  translates  or  interprets  God 
to  man  in  terms  of  the  human  with  which  we 
are  acquainted.  That  is,  he  reveals  the  Father 
to  those  who  get  the  value  of  the  life  of  the 
Christ  himself.  The  conceptions  of  the  great¬ 
ness  of  Christ’s  teachings  are  in  proportion 
to  the  greatness  of  conception  of  what  Christ 
himself  is.  As  Beecher  somewhere  says, 
“Whenever  I  think  of  the  Father  apart  from 
Jesus  Christ  he  becomes  a  distant  glow.  He 
is  too  great  and  too  vast.  I  cannot  grasp  him. 
All  I  know  of  the  Father  I  see  in  Jesus.  He 
is  God  for  me.”  How  many  others  with 
Beecher  must  make  a  like  confession.  Hence 
Christ  has  made  good  his  claim  in  Matt. 
ii  :  27.  It  has  the  ring  of  genuineness  and  of 
truth  to  it,  both  when  we  view  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  records  and  when  we  look  at  the  world 
in  the  throbbing  heart  of  which  is  the  life  of 
Christ. 

Yes,  he  was  placed  here  as  a  man,  with 
the  ordinary  means  of  a  man  so  far  as  the 
world  could  see.  He  meets  situations  and  cir¬ 
cumstances,  masters  them  and  towers  above 


12 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


them.  He  makes  all  things  serve  him  well. 
Even  the  madness  of  men  cannot  deprive  him 
of  his  lordly  might.  He  is  supreme  on  every 
occasion.  He  wraps  bold  presumption  and 
daring  in  defeat  at  his  feet.  His  enemies 
who  have  sought  to  thrust  themselves  upon 
him  must  retire  in  defeat,  saying  “Never  man 
spake  like  this  man.”  What  Jesus  was  si¬ 
lently  defeated  all  opposition.  Even  when 
his  persecutors  broke  his  body,  they  only  broke 
the  vessel  to  let  the  great  soul  out  into  the 
world.  Yes,  Christ  walked  on  through  the 
grave  to  take  the  world. 

Our  Vindicator 

Humanity  has  had  the  shroud  of  lone¬ 
liness  drawn  over  it  because  of  the  un¬ 
equalness  of  the  struggle  that  the  best  within 
has  had  in  asserting  itself.  And,  lo,  how  it 
must  fall  back  seemingly  worsted;  yes,  from 
the  wonted  point  of  view  as  having  lost  out 
while  the  merciless  floodtide  of  the  grossness 
and  viciousness  of  sin  rolls  over  it.  Even  its 
groans  cannot  be  heard  as  it  goes  down  be¬ 
neath  the  relentless  floodtide.  Is  all  lost  in 
this  bleakness  of  scathing,  prowling  death? 
There  comes  a  sigh,  even  from  out  the  loath- 


How  He  Came  Forth 


13 


some  mass  of  corruption,  yes,  it  is  a  plainer 
whisper,  now  it  is  a  faint  speech — indeed 
a  voice  speaking  plainly,  “I  know  that  my  vin¬ 
dicator  liveth.”  This  lonely  humanity  has 
all  the  while  been  feeling  that  its  vindicator 
has  been  working  too — helping  and  as¬ 
sisting  the  good  in  the  conquest,  not  wait¬ 
ing  for  the  “last  day,”  but  in  the  now  having 
placed  the  true,  the  good,  and  the  faithful 
higher  in  the  scale  of  the  ascendency  and  so 
nearer  its  final  triumph  for  the  last  day  when 
it  shall  stand  forth  in  its  achieved  victory  in 
pure  white  fully  vindicated.  Humanity  looks 
out  of  its  dark  struggle  at  the  opening  of  the 
door  through  which  its  only  ray  of  light  and 
hope  comes,  and,  lo,  there  the  great  white 
Christ  stands — humanity  fully  vindicated 
right  before  their  eyes.  Why  should  God 
give  such  a  vision  to  mortals?  Look  again 
at  the  white  Christ  and  see.  Because  of  his 
love  he  has  thus  opened  his  heart  to  mortals 
— God  so  loved  the  world  that  they  of  the 
earth  might  see  and  know  that  in  the  stainless 
Christ  all  flesh  can  find  a  vindicator — even 
one  who  will  set  matters  right  for  them — a 
goel,  one  who  can  walk  in  earth  and  who  can 
touch  our  struggle  on  every  side  and  come  off 
stainless,  a  great  high  Priest  who  can  be 


H 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


touched  with  our  infirmity  and  yet  without 
sin.  We  do  not  want  such  a  one  lifted  into 
the  high  heavens  for  there  is  enough  of  white¬ 
ness  there,  but  we  need  him  right  down  in  the 
heart  of  our  suffering.  A  voice  from  the  past 
comes  up  through  the  centuries,  even  from 
the  shores  of  the  beautiful  sea  of  Galilee, — 
“Right  there  you  will  find  him  for  he  is  in 
your  midst  as  he  that  serveth.  He  is  not  satis¬ 
fied  to  escape  stainless  from  the  struggle, 
but  has  chosen  rather  to  go  down  into  the  heat 
of  the  struggle  and  remain  there  to  assist  the 
worsted  in  their  crying  needs.  He  came  not 
to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister. 

If  so  be  that  Christ  has  come  we  long  to 
know  how  he  came  naturally  into  our  order 
to  minister.  We  long  to  see  him  in  the  bosom 
of  the  home,  giving  those  sacred  relations  the 
flower  of  his  life.  How  about  those  thirty 
quiet  years  in  the  bosom  of  the  peace  of  the 
home  at  Nazareth  when  he  is  known  by  his 
countrymen  as  the  carpenter?  Those  sacred 
glimpses  are  withheld  from  our  eyes.  But 
at  the  age  of  twelve  there  comes  forth  a  flash 
of  divine  consciousness  out  of  those  years  of 
silence.  Then  too  he  left  the  trace  of  filial 
obedience  which  when  conceived  in  the  heart 
of  the  home  places  it  without  a  peer  in  the 


How  He  Came  Forth 


15 


earth.  When  he  came  forth  from  that  home 
he  did  smite  the  enemy  on  every  side.  He 
went  direct  into  the  heat  of  conflict,  and  by 
his  righteous  life  made  evil  to  roll  back  upon 
itself  while  he  busied  himself  relieving  men 
from  their  suffering.  Even  at  the  very  outset 
men  put  him  in  a  distinct,  unique  place — 
and  that  place  is  right  in  the  heart  of  their 
needs.  When  his  presence  calls  them — the 
fisherman,  the  publican,  and  the  distinguished 
citizen  of  Cana  leave  all  and  follow  him. 
There  is  something  about  him  they  cannot 
explain,  but  they  know  that  they  have  need 
of  him.  It  takes  some  time  to  sift  out  the 
real  need  but  they  turn  not  from  following 
him. 


The  Quiet  Life  in  Nazareth 

“If  Jesus  Christ  is  a  man — 

And  only  a  man — I  say 
That  of  all  mankind  I  cleave  to  him, 
And  to  him  will  I  cleave  alway . 

“If  Jesus  Christ  is  a  God — 

And  the  only  God — I  swear 
I  will  follow  him  through  heaven  and  hell, 
The  earth,  the  sea,  the  air  A 


Gilder. 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


1 6 


In  a  basin-like  depression  among  the  foot¬ 
hills  of  Lower  Galilee  nestles  the  quiet,  un¬ 
pretentious  town  of  Nazareth.  A  few  hills 
separate  it  from  the  highway  of  nations 
through  which  the  flower  of  civilizations 
poured  the  bulk  of  their  trade  and  the  choice 
of  their  armies.  The  centuries  bring  nothing 
of  greatness  out  of  this  hill-bound  town  of 
Galilee.  But  bound  in  by  those  hills  it  is 
passed  and  repassed  by  the  caravans  of  the 
merchants  who  are  “clothed  in  purple  and 
fine  linen  and  who  fare  sumptuously  every 
day,”  and  by  the  armies  of  valiant  men  who 
give  battle  upon  the  great  plains — in  passing 
to  and  from  world  conquests.  This  village 
peacefully  sleeps  back  of  Gentile  pressed  Gal¬ 
ilee  as  civilizations  come  forth  and  shine  in 
resplendent  fairness,  each  in  its  turn  dominat¬ 
ing  the  world.  The  nations  clearly  mark  and 
define  the  borders  of  Galilee  round  about. 
Did  they  threaten  to  sever  her  from  the  rest 
of  Israel  by  appropriating  to  themselves  this 
great  highway  through  the  heart  of  the  plain 
of  Megiddo?  The  prowess  of  nations  concen¬ 
trate  the  flower  of  their  strength  in  these 
plains.  Here  they  fought  more  than  twenty 
battles  to  decide  the  world  championship. 
Many  nations  looked  with  covetous  eyes  upon 


How  He  Came  Forth 


17 


this  plain  which  held  the  key  of  world  domin¬ 
ion.  But  all  this  while  Jehovah  was  mind¬ 
ful  of  their  intents  and  set  bounds  to  their 
fierce  rage  that  they  might  not  in  their  stolid, 
sordid  greed  separate  his  people  altogether. 
They  might  pass  this  way  and  even  pitch  their 
tents  among  his  people  but  beyond  this  the 
Lord  of  hosts  would  not  suffer  them  to  go. 

Did  Nazareth  sleep  as  the  God  of  battles 
was  watching  over  with  a  jealous  eye?  Cer¬ 
tainly  she  put  forth  her  hand  and  took  some 
toll  out  of  the  wealth  of  the  nations  as  the 
long  trains  laden  with  exceeding  costly  treas¬ 
ures  passed  by  so  near  her  door.  And  too 
she  had  her  synagogue.  Surely  she  must  find 
some  one  of  wealth  who  because  of  his  afflu¬ 
ence  is  schooled  in  the  niceties  of  the  Jewish 
civilization  to  speak  for  her.  And  lo,  and 
behold,  one  of  her  sons  comes  forth  to  make 
her  the  astounding  centre  of  the  world  civili¬ 
zation  for  all  time  to  come.  But  he  is  a  car¬ 
penter.  You  gasp!  Thirty  years  move  si¬ 
lently  over  the  head  of  this  carpenter  too,  and 
he  has  lived  within  the  narrow  limits  of  this 
quiet  village  with  all  the  things  after  which 
the  Gentiles  seek  roaring  and  thundering  by 
just  outside  of  its  gates.  This  carpenter  be¬ 
ing  about  thirty  years  of  age,  begins  to  preach. 


1 8  The  Silent  Nazarene 

His  teachings  at  once  reverse  the  old  order 
of  things  and  men  are  astonished  beyond  meas¬ 
ure  with  the  “new  doctrine.”  His  method  of 
teaching  too  is  so  different  from  that  of  the 
scribes — he  teaches  out  of  a  consciousness  of 
a  oneness  with  God  and  not  from  the  compli¬ 
cated  footnotes  of  the  precise  fathers. 

He  naturally  comes  to  his  home  to  teach 
when  he  is  about  to  begin  his  ministry.  He 
enters  the  synagogue  upon  the  Sabbath  where 
his  fellow  countrymen  are  assembled  for  in¬ 
struction  in  the  things  of  the  law  of  Moses  and 
of  the  prophets.  He  stands  up  to  read.  They 
do  not  take  exception  to  his  conduct,  but 
hand  him  the  book  of  Isaiah.  He  opens  the 
book  and  reads  from  the  place  where  it  was 
written, 

“The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 

Because  he  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tid¬ 
ings  to  the  poor: 

He  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the 
captives, 

And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind, 

To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised, 

To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the 
Lord.” 

Closing  the  book,  he  gives  it  back  to  the 


How  He  Came  Forth 


19 


attendant  and  sits  down:  and  the  eyes  of  all 
in  the  synagogue  are  fastened  on  him.  Then 
he  begins  to  say  to  them,  “To-day  is  this  scrip¬ 
ture  fulfilled  in  your  ears.”  As  he  speaks 
to  them  they  are  filled  with  astonishment  at 
the  words  of  grace  that  proceed  out  of  his 
mouth.  Some  do  not  wish  to  acknowledge 
what  the  force  of  the  words  have  borne  in 
upon  them.  Their  pride  is  offended,  saying, 
“Is  not  this  Joseph’s  son?”  Others  would  put 
it  stronger,  saying,  “Is  not  this  the  carpenter, 
the  son  of  Mary,  the  brother  of  James,  and 
Joses,  and  Judas,  and  Simon?  and  are  not  his 
sisters  here  with  us?”  They  know  all  about 
this  man — every  member  of  his  immediate 
family  is  known  to  them,  and  they  know  his 
former  occupation  too.  But  they  have  heard 
of  the  great  works  of  healing  at  Capernaum. 
He  forestalls  them,  saying,  “Doubtless  ye  will 
say  unto  me  this  parable,  Physician,  heal  thy¬ 
self :  Whatsoever  we  have  heard  done  at  Ca¬ 
pernaum,  do  also  in  thine  own  country.”  They 
are  telling  him  that  is  the  very  thing  they 
expect  of  him.  “No  man  seeks  to  be  great 
and  refuses  to  let  it  be  known.”  At  this  the 
young  Teacher  speaks  very  decidedly,  saying, 
“Verily  I  say  unto  you,  No  prophet  is  accept¬ 
able  in  his  own  country.”  They  are  filled  with 


20 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


wrath  which  added  to  their  offended  pride 
cause  them  to  cast  him  out  of  the  city  and 
lead  him  forth  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  upon 
which  their  city  stood  that  they  might  throw 
him  down  headlong.  “But  he  passing 
through  the  midst  of  them  went  his  way.” 

This  life  came  forth  not  to  be  withered  by 
the  blight  of  jealousy,  pride,  and  vanity,  but 
to  shine  in  spite  of  it.  He  breathed  into  the 
heart  of  humanity  the  spirit  6f  loving  service 
that  would  surely  and  ultimately  displace  this 
bold  monster  that  is  stalking  mid  the  rights 
of  men  and  is  responsible  for  so  many  ills 
and  heart-cryings.  Jesus  made  the  human 
divine  and  the  divine  human,  both  to  shine  in 
human  needs — Immanuel. 

At  the  Age  of  Twelve 

Many  boys  played  upon  the  hills  about 
Nazareth  in  sight  of  Mt.  Carmel  where  the 
sturdy,  thorough-going  old  prophet  put  to 
death  the  false  prophets  of  Baal,  and  reestab¬ 
lished  the  worship  of  Jehovah  in  Israel.  The 
lads  of  this  village  could  play  upon  these  foot¬ 
hills,  and  look  directly  upon  the  great  road 
passing  the  foot  of  Carmel,  leading  from  the 
plain  of  Sharon  into  the  plain  of  Megiddo, 


How  He  Came  Forth 


21 


where  the  armies  of  Egypt  and  Philistia  came 
up,  through  which  the  caravans  of  Midian 
poured.  And  from  the  same  spot  they  could 
see  directly  the  ever  present  highway  that  led 
by  Jenin  from  Galilee  into  the  hills  of  Sa¬ 
maria,  where  the  pilgrims  thronged  every 
year  on  their  way  to  the  temple  to  attend  the 
great  feast.  These  lads  could  also  gaze  upon 
the  naked  heights  of  Gilboa  where  the  beau¬ 
tiful  Jonathan  was  slain  and  where  Saul  in 
the  grip  of  giant  despair  fell  upon  his  own 
sword.  How  many  of  them  thought  upon  the 
beautiful  words  of  David’s  great  elegy  over 
Jonathan  and  Saul?  How  many  could  see 
naught  but  brazen  barrenness  of  naked  heights 
frowning  and  staring  in  the  face  of  the  fertile 
plains?  Youths  played  and  slept,  worn  out 
and  tired  from  play  in  the  very  arms  of  these 
stirring  memories.  If  any  were  stirred  it  was 
only  like  the  flash  that  flares  to  die.  Can  this 
be  the  correct  statement  of  the  fact? 

Once  there  was  an  extraordinary  child  that 
played  on  these  hills  in  whose  mind  the  splen¬ 
did  associations  of  these  sacred  places  mingle 
and  cluster,  kindling  the  great  flame  in  his 
holy  imagination  that  would  burn  iout  the 
very  dross  of  sinful  pollution  of  the  world. 
He  too  sleeps  like  all  other  boys  playing  about 


22 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


those  hills — but  sleeps  to  dream  of  the  glories 
God  has  shown  unto  his  people  in  leading 
them.  This  boy  when  tired  of  play  could 
turn  his  face  to  Carmel  and  see  Johovah  vin¬ 
dicated — it  were  as  though  a  living  picture 
was  ever  before  him  of  God’s  sturdy  prophet 
and  the  powerless  priests  of  Baal.  The  eye 
of  this  youth  could  discern  the  fashion  of  this 
world — with  Carmel  on  the  one  side  and  the 
highway  of  the  Pilgrims  to  the  temple  on  the 
other,  with  the  Gentiles  cutting  their  broad 
way  through  the  heart  of  the  plains  even  across 
the  pathway  of  the  Pilgrims,  with  their  long 
caravans  ladened  with  merchandise  or  with 
the  ruthless  sweeping  march  of  their  armies 
— their  mad  rush  wrecking,  crushing  and 
plundering,  sparing  none  but  grinding  all  be¬ 
neath  the  trampling  heel  of  their  greed.  He 
too  would  lift  his  eyes  to  the  barren  frowning 
heights  of  Gilboa  and  see  how  “the  mighty 
had  fallen”  before  the  foes  of  Israel  because 
of  disobedience  to  Jehovah’s  commands. 
Here  “Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature, 
and  in  favor  with  God  and  man.” 

The  sun  has  just  risen  over  Gilead’s  heights 
and  has  sent  his  flood  of  light  down  across  the 
great  valley  of  Jezreel  whose  beauty  of  un¬ 
folding  light  is  like  a  waving  stream  flowing 


How  He  Came  Forth 


23 


into  the  deep  trenchlike  valley  of  the  Jordan. 
This  morning  light  so  suggestive  of  Jehovah’s 
deliverance  of  the  souls  of  his  people  from 
darkness  is  lighting  up  the  whole  plain  of 
Megiddo,  and  at  the  southeast  corner  there  is 
a  long  continuous  throng  of  Pilgrims  press¬ 
ing  down  upon  the  hills  of  Samaria.  The  boy 
Jesus  is  now  at  the  age  of  twelve  and  he  is  in 
that  throng.  How  often  had  he  stood  upon  the 
hills  about  Nazareth  and  longed  to  go  with 
that  long  moving  throng,  the  van  of  which  was 
dimming  out  of  his  sight  among  the  hills 
through  which  they  found  their  course  to  the 
temple.  Now  he  is  in  that  throng.  With  what 
rich  anticipations  he  had  looked  forward  to 
this  year.  It  had  been  the  joy  of  his  thought 
as  he  searched  the  law  and  the  prophets  and 
meditated  upon  the  cardinal  points  on  which 
hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets — all  moral 
and  spiritual  integrity  of  man.  He  had  now 
joined  the  happy  throng  that  was  moving  to 
the  house  of  his  Father.  He  had  not  stood 
upon  those  hills  alone  but  was  reading  the 
significance  of  the  world  in  the  presence  of 
his  Father,  as  the  world  of  trade  broadly 
sweeps  over  the  great  plain  into  the  plains  of 
the  West  as  well  as  the  counter  stream  from 
West  to  East  coursing  into  the  Pride  of  the 


24 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


Jordan,  and  the  pilgrim  throng  cross  the  cor¬ 
ner  of  the  plain  to  quickly  vanish  among  the 
hills  that  lead  up  through  the  valleys  of  Sa¬ 
maria  to  the  altogether  barren  table-land  of 
Judea.  He  is  now  with  his  parents  in  that 
Pilgrim  throng  going  up  to  the  feast  enriched 
by  the  world-vision  he  has  gotten  from  those 
hills  about  Nazareth  in  the  presence  of  his 
Father. 

How  the  heart  leaps  as  he  comes  within 
sight  of  Bethel  and  with  an  eye  full  of  the  con¬ 
suming  fire  of  godliness  he  sees  Jacob  in  the 
midst  of  his  vision.  He  is  now  upon  the  bor¬ 
derland  of  Judea  and  his  eye  is  everywhere 
busy.  Mighty  thoughts  crowd  his  mind  as 
he  gets  glimpses  of  sacred  places  and  his  feet 
press  the  hills  that  are  round  about  Jerusalem. 
How  he  loves  them,  and  each  hill  he  ascends 
brings  him  nearer  his  Father’s  house  which 
is  best  of  all.  As  he  goes  up  to  the  house  of 
the  Lord  all  the  sacredness  of  the  centuries 
is  heightened  and  made  grand  in  him  for  he  is 
conscious  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God.  His 
eye  penetrates  the  meaning  of  it  all.  He 
held  the  God  center  and  the  man  center  and 
with  that  observation  so  augmented  he  looked 
through  from  one  centre  to  the  other  and  saw 
things  in  their  proper  perspective  even  as  his 


How  He  Came  Forth 


25 


Father  had  purposed  them.  Yet  he  was  re¬ 
garded  only  as  boy  of  twelve  going  with  his 
parents  up  to  temple  as  was  the  custom.  His 
parents  have  come  to  the  temple  and  go  about 
their  sacred  duties.  The  boy  Jesus  is  in  his 
Father’s  house.  He  had  long  looked  forward 
to  this  time  when  he  should  have  the  privilege 
of  standing  within  the  sacred  courts  of  his 
Father’s  house — it  was  the  burning  purpose 
of  his  heart. 

The  days  are  fulfilled — Mary  and  Joseph 
have  made  an  end  of  their  solemn  duties  and 
are  facing  about  towards  Galilee.  The  boy 
Jesus  tarries  behind  at  Jerusalem,  but  the  par¬ 
ents  know  it  not,  for  they  supposed  him  to  be 
in  the  company.  They  go  a  day’s  journey,  and 
as  he  does  not  appear  they  seek  for  him  among 
their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance.  They  fail 
to  find  him  and  turn  back  to  Jerusalem  seek¬ 
ing  for  him.  After  three  days  they  find  him 
in  the  temple  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doc¬ 
tors,  both  hearing  them,  and  asking  them 
questions. 

A  glance  at  this  scene  is  worth  while.  The 
Galilean  lad  with  face  lit  up  with  a  radiance 
of  godliness  listening  to  and  talking  with  the 
learned  doctors — a  peasant  boy  asking  and  an¬ 
swering  questions  with  the  astute  Rabbis  about 


2  6 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


the  law.  These  lawyers  are  amazed  and  as¬ 
tonished  beyond  measure.  They  had  exer¬ 
cised  themselves  in  the  matters  of  the  law  as 
the  barren  wastes  of  rocky  semi-arid  Judea 
bound  them  in  round  about.  They  could  talk 
eloquently  in  the  face  of  the  silent  rocks,  but 
what  is  their  learning  and  eloquence  when 
they  face  this  youth  of  Nazareth  whose  eye 
was  accustomed  to  sweep  the  great  plains  upon 
which  battles  and  commerce  vied,  and  whose 
mind  daily  was  fed  by  meditation  upon  the 
law  and  the  prophets;  whose  eye  could  see  the 
mighty  way  of  God’s  disposing  of  men,  armies 
and  nations — penetrating  the  heart  of  human 
conflict  and  struggle?  This  boy  who  was  ever 
at  the  heart  of  life  and  viewing  all  struggle 
in  the  light  of  his  Father’s  presence  put  to  si¬ 
lence  the  learned  who  were  thinking  about 
what  the  fathers  said  about  the  details  of  some 
line  of  conduct.  But  this  youth  saw  the  human 
ever  in  presence  of  the  divine,  and  always  suf¬ 
ficient  for  every  need.  “And  all  that  heard 
him  were  amazed  at  his  understanding  and 
his  answers.”  They  knew  that  his  results  were 
correct,  but  with  what  marvelous  power  he 
clothes  his  words — he  teaches  with  authority. 
But  here  the  curtain  falls.  Something  just 
comes  in  to  break  off  that  conversation  be- 


How  He  Came  Forth 


27 


tween  the  Galilean  peasant  boy  and  the 
learned  doctors — his  parents  find  him,  for  his 
hour  is  not  yet  come. 

That  search  too  yields  its  experience — a  bit 
of  history  is  here  also.  A  day’s  journey  out 
of  the  city  require  at  the  best  the  most  of  a  day 
to  retrace  the  steps  taken.  Human  are  they 
of  this  little  company  who  set  their  sorrowful 
faces  toward  Jerusalem  in  search  of  their  lost 
boy.  Would  it  be  strange  that  even  Mary 
the  mother  of  Jesus  should  be  exercised  about 
her  missing  child?  She  has  seen  him  wrapt  in 
meditation  for  hours.  What  if  some  hurt  had 
befallen  him  when  lost  to  himself  and  his  sur¬ 
roundings  in  a  deep  meditative  frame  of  mind? 
Is  it  not  natural  for  a  mother  to  imagine  all 
sorts  of  things  that  might  befall  the  child 
whose  life  to  her  is  more  than  her  own  life? 
The  very  rocks  would  seem  to  weep  when  that 
mother  would  scan  them  with  anxious  eye 
thinking  that  she  just  must  see  her  boy.  How 
they  search  their  lodgings  within  the  city,  in¬ 
quiring  diligently  of  this  one  and  that  one  who 
might  chance  their  way  whether  they  had  seen 
a  boy  who  was  seeking  his  kinsfolks.  When 
they  can  find  no  trace  that  mother’s  anxieties 
become  very  exacting.  Weary  and  exhausted 
both  physically  and  mentally  they  turn  their 


28 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


steps  to  the  temple.  Perhaps  the  officials 
there  can  help  them  find  a  trace  of  the  missing 
boy  though  the  crowd  is  great  and  they  can 
hardly  hope  for  any  such  thing.  They  come 
to  a  group  of  eager  listeners.  These  are 
grouped  about  the  learned  doctors  who  have 
the  chief  authority  in  the  Sanhedrin.  As 
they  press  closer  in  order  to  speak  with  these 
about  their  missing  boy,  they  are  astonished. 
That  mother  sees  her  son  as  the  centre  about 
which  all  this  crowd  of  listeners  is  grouped. 
She  can  not  help  saying,  “Child,  why  hast 
thou  thus  dealt  with  us?  behold,  thy  father  and 
I  sought  thee  sorrowing.”  She  has  told  him 
all.  Was  it  a  rebuke?  Had  she  not  said  over 
and  over  in  her  mind  when  searching  for  him? 
Is  it  not  strange  for  our  child  to  thus  deal  with 
us?  So  she  told  him  that  they  sought  him 
sorrowing. 

The  mother  spoke  to  that  boy  as  mothers 
are  accustomed  to  do.  But  is  the  reply  of  this 
lad  who  is  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both 
hearing  them,  and  asking  them  questions,  as 
reply  of  a  son  to  his  mother,  having  failed  in 
his  obligation  to  his  parent?  Here  is  his  an¬ 
swer  without  apology  or  plea  for  pardon  for 
having  wronged  his  parent.  Is  it  not  rather 
a  gentle  rebuke  to  the  over  anxious,  sorrow- 


How  He  Came  Forth 


29 


ing  parent?  “How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me? 
Knew  ye  not  that  I  must  be  in  my  Father’s 
house.”  He  speaks  as  though  they  have  al¬ 
ready  had  sufficient  data  to  know  where  to 
find  him.  If  they  failed  to  recognize  it,  it 
was  due  to  their  slowness  of  heart.  It  were  as 
though  he  were  saying  to  his  mother — “How 
is  it  that  ye  sought  me  sorrowing?  Knew  ye 
not  that  I  must  be  in  my  Father’s  house? 
Where  else  could  I  be?  I  must  be  about  my 
Father’s  business.  Have  ye  not  always  found 
me  exercised  in  the  things  of  my  Father? 
Why  should  you  ever  have  had  any  question 
where  to  find  me?” 

They  understood  not  the  saying  he  spake 
unto  them.  He  does  not  seek  an  argument 
with  them.  He  knows  that  he  must  be  mis¬ 
understood  as  price  to  pay  for  being  what  he 
is.  So  he  goes  down  with  them,  and  they 
came  to  Nazareth:  “and  he  was  subject  unto 
them.” 

The  age  of  twelve  is  on  one  side  of  this  un¬ 
fathomable  depths  of  the  silence  of  the  life  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  while  the  age  of  thirty  is 
the  shoreline  on  the  other  over  which  the  full¬ 
ness  of  his  life  overflows  covering  all  Judea 
and  Galilee,  spreading  to  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth,  and  filling  the  heaven  of  heavens 


30 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


— such  are  the  breadth  and  the  height  of  his 
life  which  is  eternally  at  floodtide.  But  he  is 
to  grow  in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favor 
with  God  and  man,  and  just  live  in  these  eight¬ 
een  years  of  silence.  He  learns  the  carpenter 
trade,  and  as  he  is  the  eldest  son  he  must  pro¬ 
vide  for  his  mother,  sisters,  and  younger  broth¬ 
ers  when  Joseph  is  no  longer  spared  to  the 
home.  He  must  busy  himself  with  the  rou¬ 
tine  of  that  humble  home  all  these  years. 
After  the  weary  hours  of  toil  to  keep  that  fam¬ 
ily  together  he  goes  up  from  that  obscure 
home  to  the  hill-top  about  his  village  to  look 
upon  the  great  plain,  and  the  caravans  of  the 
merchants;  he  gazes  upon  the  long  moving 
train  of  merchants  as  the  shadows  lengthen, 
even  till  the  dusk  and  the  twilight  are  swal- 
owed  up  into  the  deep  darkness.  Then  mid 
the  deep  darkness  he  goes  to  his  secluded  place 
of  prayer,  and  there  meditates  and  prays  the 
whole  night.  In  the  early  morning  watch  he 
searches  the  scripture,  and  when  the  press  of 
toil  is  on  he  thinks  upon  these  things  even  as 
he  works  at  his  trade.  He  is  no  recluse,  but 
is  noted  throughout  his  village  among  his  fel¬ 
low-countrymen  for  the  skill  of  his  craftsman¬ 
ship.  Even  when  he  set  forth  to  teach  he  as¬ 
tonished  his  fellow  countrymen  with  “the 


How  He  Came  Forth  31 

words  of  grace  that  proceeded  out  of  his 
mouth”  so  that  they  begin  to  say  among  them¬ 
selves — “Is  not  this  the  carpenter?”  They 
knew  of  his  skill  as  a  craftsman  during  these 
silent  years  but  knew  not  the  greater  work  he 
was  doing  in  the  way  of  preparation  for  his 
ministry  when  his  hour  should  fully  come.  If 
we  could  have  a  record  of  these  silent  years 
we  should  have  a  book  full  of  the  glowing 
events  of  human  interests.  We  find  his  con¬ 
duct  during  these  silent  years  written  all 
through  his  teachings.  Parables  like  those  of 
the  good  Samaritan,  and  the  Slighted  Invita¬ 
tion  throw  no  little  light  upon  the  manner  of 
conduct  of  this  man  during  these  silent  years. 
If  these  years  could  be  read  they  would  put  to 
shame  our  vanity  and  striving  after  greatness, 
comfort  and  fame.  He  by  no  means  regarded 
it  as  least  to  be  exercised  about  the  little  things 
of  life.  Note  well  the  saneness  of  his  teachings. 
The  common  and  mediocre  were  ever  of  great 
interest  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  In  this  sim¬ 
ple  spirit  his  parables  are  framed,  the  color¬ 
ing  of  goodly  illustrations  are  from  the  house¬ 
hold.  Jesus  loved  the  home,  and  gave  thirty 
of  his  best  years  to  beautify  and  to  bestow  the 
first  place  upon  earth  upon  the  home. 

But  how  about  the  deportment  of  the 


3  2 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


mother  of  that  home  after  the  temple  affair? 
We  are  told  that  “his  mother  kept  all  these 
sayings  in  her  heart.”  She  opens  the  door  and 
gives  us  a  glimpse  at  the  marriage  feast  at 
Cana  at  the  very  beginning  of  his  ministry. 
She  wishes  the  household  to  be  relieved  of  em¬ 
barrassment  and  whispers  to  Jesus — “They 
have  no  wine.”  She  expects  him  to  help  out 
the  embarrassing  situation.  She  thereby 
shows  her  accustomed  way  of  turning  to  him 
when  perplexities  arose  in  the  home.  She  did 
not  noise  it  about  among  the  people  that  she 
had  a  remarkable  son.  She  knew  it  would 
all  work  itself  out.  She  has  been  pondering 
these  things  in  her  heart  even  ever  since  the 
aged  Simeon  in  the  temple  took  the  babe  up 
in  his  arms  and  blessed  him  in  such  a  strange 
manner.  She  still  has  a  picture  of  her  boy 
at  twelve  among  the  learned  doctors  in  the 
temple.  He  has  been  at  the  feast  many  times 
since  he  has  grown  into  mature  manhood  but 
has  never  entered  into  any  discussion  with  the 
learned  lawyers.  She  ponders  this  also  in 
her  heart  that  such  a  remarkable  man  should 
so  restrain  himself  (and  should  refrain) 
from  learned  discussions — this  is  as  marvel¬ 
ous  as  the  youth  of  twelve  talking  with  the 
doctors.  But  when  Mary  intimates  at  the 


How  He  Came  Forth 


33 


marriage  feast  that  they  have  no  wine  he  gives 
her  a  clue  to  his  remarkable  silence,  saying, 
“Mine  hour  is  not  yet  come.”  Jesus  knew 
when  the  time  had  fully  come,  when  the  fruit 
was  fully  ripe  in  maturity,  when  the  best  pro¬ 
duct  could  be  given.  In  all  this  wonderful 
reserve  out  of  which  came  forth  the  grandest 
product  of  the  centuries  the  wisdom  of  those 
silent  years  can  be  read.  God’s  hand  shapes, 
and  Tesus  knew  that  what  was  fashioned  was 

J  V, 

the  best,  then  why  not  wait  for  that  product? 

The  Baptism 

H  ow  the  people  throng  even  the  thick  jun¬ 
gle  of  the  pride  of  the  Jordan?  The  wild 
beast  can  no  longer  find  cover  there.  Throng¬ 
ing  multitudes  press  through  the  reeds  shaken 
by  the  winds  to  see  what?  One  like  unto  the 
shaking  reeds?  or  one  clothed  in  soft  raiment? 
There  stands  the  object  of  their  press — even 
at  the  very  water’s  edge.  A  sturdy  preacher 
clothed  in  camel’s  hair,  with  a  leathern  girdle 
about  his  loins,  preaching  in  a  fearless  man¬ 
ner  to  the  thronging  multitudes.  The  pierc¬ 
ing  eye  of  the  preacher  looks  upon  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  coming  up  through  those  dense 
jungles  to  the  water’s  edge — even  edging  about 


34 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


as  best  they  can  so  as  not  to  touch  the  common 
man  but  get  next  to  the  preacher  if  possible, 
and  fixing  his  eye  on  them  and  in  his  imagina¬ 
tion  seeing  the  grass  and  thistle  of  the  dry  and 
parched  moorlands  of  Judea  on  fire  and  the 
vipers  and  scorpions  fleeing  from  their  holes 
before  the  spreading  sea  of  fire,  in  all  his 
strength  he  lifts  up  his  voice  and  cries  out  to 
them:  “Ye  offsprings  of  vipers,  who  hath 
warned  you  to  flee  the  wrath  to  come?” 

Who  is  this  that  dares  to  warn  men  with 
such  fiery  language?  As  the  multitudes  are 
left  questioning  among  themselves  who  this 
might  be  the  fiery  preacher  vanishes  within 
the  wilderness  to  eat  his  scanty  fare  of  locust 
and  wild  honey  and  meditate  on  God  and  the 
preacher’s  divine  mission.  After  his  medita¬ 
tion  he  girds  up  his  loins  with  his  leathern 
girdle  and  comes  forth  to  preach  more  fiercely 
than  ever — denouncing  the  sinful  without  re¬ 
gard  to  rank  or  station  in  life.  But  yet  they 
throng  him,  and  the  multitudes  become  greater 
than  ever.  “And  as  the  people  were  in  great 
expectation,  and  all  men  reasoned  in  their 
hearts  concerning  John,  whether  haply  he 
were  the  Christ,”  one  of  their  leaders  ventures 
to  put  the  question  to  the  fiery  preacher,  say¬ 
ing,  “Who  art  thou?”  He  answers,  “I  am  not 


How  He  Came  Forth 


35 


the  Christ.”  “But  the  officials  at  Jerusalem 
must  know  who  thou  art,  fiery  preacher.”  So 
they  continue  to  ask,  saying,  “What  then?  Art 
thou  Elijah?”  He  answers,  “I  am  not.” 
“Art  thou  Jeremiah?”  He  answers,  “No.” 
Now  they  are  at  their  wits’  end,  and  they  must 
know,  “Who  art  thou?  that  we  may  give 
an  answer  to  them  that  sent  us.  What 
sayest  thou  of  thyself?”  This  provokes 
the  fiery  preacher  to  answer.  He  will  make 
a  full  end  now.  He  tells  them  that  he 
is  a  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness.  Pre¬ 
pare  and  make  ready  for  the  coming  of  God’s 
annointed.  God  himself  will  iron  out  all  the 
uneven  and  crooked  places  in  the  earth.  He 
will  smooth  things  up  and  make  straight  paths 
— justice  and  righteousness  shall  cover  the 
earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea,  for  God’s 
Anointed  is  come  and  his  zeal  will  perform  it. 
So  the  preacher  cries  out,  saying: 

“The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
Make  ye  ready  the  way  of  the  Lord, 

Make  his  paths  straight. 

Every  valley  shall  be  filled, 

And  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be 
brought  low; 

And  the  crooked  shall  become  straight, 


36  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

And  the  rough  places  smooth; 

And  all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God.” 

After  expounding  this  scripture  the  great 
preacher  proceeds,  saying,  “I  indeed  baptize 
you  with  water;  but  there  cometh  he  that  is 
mightier  than  I,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I 
not  worthy  to  unloose:  he  shall  baptize  you  in 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  in  fire:  whose  fan  is  in 
his  hand,  thoroughly  to  cleanse  his  threshing- 
floor,  and  to  gather  the  wheat  into  his  garner; 
but  the  chaff  he  will  burn  up  with  unquench¬ 
able  fire.”  The  preacher  furthermore  tells 
them  that  the  ax  is  already  laid  at  the  root  of 
the  tree.  There  must  be  a  clearing  of  the 
thick  jungle — the  snarled  scrub-tree  must  be 
cut  away.  So  is  the  judgment  of  God  already 
set  to  making  complete  work  of  cleaning  out 
the  snarled  trees  of  the  jungle  that  cumber  the 
men  of  that  generation.  Such  forceful  preach¬ 
ing  causes  men  to  pause  and  think.  So  great 
multitudes  came  to  be  baptized  of  him. 

He  is  busy  baptizing  for  the  remission  of 
sins  but  is  likewise  careful  to  impress  them 
with  the  fact  that  there  comes  after  him  one 
the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  he  is  not  worthy  to 
stoop  down  to  unloose,  who  will  baptize  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire.  His  very  coun- 


How  He  Came  Forth 


37 


tenance  flashes  fire  as  he  surveys  that  multi¬ 
tude  with  piercing  eye.  He  goes  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  appearance  of  things  and  be¬ 
holds  the  state  of  things  as  very  black  indeed. 
So  unprepared  are  they  for  the  new  order 
which  they  are  about  to  enter.  The  preacher 
cries  aloud  and  spares  not,  “Bring  forth  fruits 
worthy  of  repentance,  and  begin  not  to  say 
within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to  our 
father.”  But  here  is  a  pause.  The  preacher 
fixes  his  eye  upon  the  centre  of  that  multitude 
out  of  which  is  coming  a  young  man  about 
thirty  years  of  age. 

The  preacher  is  but  six  months  his  elder. 
As  he  approaches  the  Baptist  the  Pharisees  are 
whispering  among  themselves,  for  their  eyes 
are  in  every  place  that  they  might  catch  some¬ 
thing,  saying,  “There  goes  the  preacher’s  cou¬ 
sin  from  Nazareth.”  But  what  of  it?  The 
Baptist  is  acting  so  strangely.  He  is  actually 
bowing  before  this  man.  This  young  man 
from  Nazareth  is  asking  to  be  baptized  of 
him.  The  sturdy  preacher  who  has  been  fear¬ 
less  in  face  of  the  multitudes  is  starting  back. 
Listen!  He  is  actually  saying  to  this  young 
man  what  he  has  been  saying  to  the  multitudes 
concerning  his  own  unworthiness  to  that  of 
the  one  who  is  preferred  before  him,  for  he 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


was  before  him — even  the  Lord’s  Anointed. 
So  John  would  hinder  him,  saying,  “I  have 
need  to  be  baptized  of  thee,  and  comest  thou 
to  me?”  The  young  man  from  Nazareth  in¬ 
sists  that  it  be  so,  saying,  “Suffer  it  now:  for 
thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteous¬ 
ness.”  Then  John  suffers  it  to  be  so.  What 
an  expression  of  astonishment  passes  over  the 
faces  of  those  in  that  multitude  at  the  strange 
conduct  of  the  fierce  preacher! 

The  young  man  from  Nazareth  who  has 
received  deference  from  the  Baptist  asks  for 
no  special  privilege  in  the  manner  of  his 
being  baptized.  He  steps  into  the  muddy 
Jordan  as  do  they  who  are  being  baptized  for 
the  remission  of  sins.  Though  he  is  conscious 
of  his  sinlessness  yet  asks  that  he  be  baptized 
as  it  is  needful  to  fulfill  all  righteousness. 
Did  he  say  it  takes  a  righteous  man  to  get 
under  the  burden  of  the  sin  of  the  unright¬ 
eous?  Must  he  be  subject  to  the  same  temp¬ 
tations  as  they  who  are  stained  with  sin  and 
still  be  pure?  If  so  he  can  show  the  way  out. 
Heaven  sends  stainless  lives  among  the  needs 
of  men  to  help  them  out  of  their  sins.  So 
Jesus  asks  that  no  exception  be  made  for  him. 
He  will  be  exempt  from  none  of  the  things 
other  men  are  subjected  to.  He  will  receive 


How  He  Came  Forth 


39 


his  baptism  and  go  through  the  sufferings  and 
trials  that  his  struggle  brings.  But  all  that 
the  Pharisees  and  others  of  the  multitude  saw 
was  that  a  young  man  from  Nazareth  went 
down  into  the  muddy  waters  of  the  Jordan  to 
be  baptized  by  the  stern  preacher  who  made 
exception  of  no  man  till  this  man  came,  and 
that  though  the  preacher  protested  when  re¬ 
quested  by  this  young  man  to  baptize  him,  yet 
when  the  young  man  insists  and  says  it  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  do  so  to  fulfill  all  righteousness  the  in¬ 
vincible  preacher  is  conquered  by  the  irresisti¬ 
ble  word  of  his  mouth.  But  the  inner  con¬ 
sciousness  of  Jesus  was  to  bring  in  a  new  order. 

It  was  so.  When  Jesus  was  baptized  while 
he  was  praying — even  as  he  was  coming  up 
out  of  the  water — “the  heaven  was  opened,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  descended  in  a  bodily  form,  as 
a  dove,  upon  him,  and  a  voice  came  out  of 
heaven,  ‘Thou  art  my  beloved  Son;  in  thee  I 
am  well  pleased.’  ”  Did  Jesus  only  see  the 
Spirit  descending  upon  him  in  the  bodily 
£orm,  as  a  dove?  or,  did  John  the  Baptist  see 
too?  or,  was  it  even  given  the  multitude  to  see 
this  strange  manifestation  of  Heaven’s  ap¬ 
proval  of  him  who  is  announced  as  “My  be¬ 
loved  Son?”  However  this  may  be  the  face 
of  things  are  changed.  The  heavens  remain 


40 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


open  and  the  Dove  of  God  abides  upon  the 
brow  of  man.  Heaven  approves  of  the  way 
this  man  is  walking  through  the  earth,  and 
there  has  gone  down  through  the  ages  a  deep 
consciousness  of  a  oneness  with  Heaven  which 
alone  has  come  through  this  one  man.  Why 
announce  the  atonement  at  this  baptism?  All 
earth  bears  witness  that  he  made  a  significant 
mark  there.  For  that  matter  earth  was  at 
one  with  Heaven  in  him  even  in  the  silence 
and  seclusion  of  Nazareth. 

He  faces  the  wilderness  being  driven  by  the 
Spirit.  But  he  has  cast  a  marvelous  change 
about  the  >  preacher  of  righteousness.  The 
bold  proclaimer  of  judgment  speaks  on  this 
wise:  “Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world!  This  is  he  of 
whom  I  said,  after  me  cometh  a  man  who  is 
become  before  me:  for  he  was  before  me.” 
But  now  he  is  lost  sight  of  in  the  wilderness, 
and  the  great  preacher  of  judgment  announces 
that  the  old  order  must  give  place  to  the  new 
— “He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease.” 

The  T emptation 

This  glimpse  of  the  Christ  is  caught  up  into 
silence.  The  lone  desert;  the  deep  solitude; 


How  He  Came  Forth 


4i 


the  absence  of  human  voice — naught  but 
the  howl  of  a  hungry  brute,  the  satisfac¬ 
tion  of  whose  hunger  is  the  end  of  its  ex¬ 
istence,  breaks  in  upon  the  silence  about 
the  struggling  Christ,  who  is  defeating  and 
rising  above  that  about  which  the  savage  brute 
made  its  fierce  and  weird  cry.  Not  in  the 
rapture  of  an  Eden’s  gorgeous  rose-meshes 
where  the  soft  light  fell  among  the  thick  clus¬ 
tered  bowers,  but  mid  the  barrenness  and  un¬ 
couthness  of  starved  nature,  with  the  horrid 
scream  of  the  ferocious  beasts  piercing  the 
death-stillness,  the  man  of  sorrows  whose 
countenance  was  marred  as  no  other  man  re¬ 
mains  without  food  for  forty  days  and  forty 
nights,  facing  the  awfulness  of  a  sin-deluged 
world,  banishing  every  specter  that  came 
wrapt  in  an  Eden  of  subtle  fancy. 

Jesus  in  the  midst  of  human  conflict  and 
trial!  The  purest  and  the  meekest  of  man¬ 
kind  driven  by  the  Spirit  into  the  face  of  the 
storm  of  human  conflict  with  sin!  The  stain¬ 
less  and  flawless  within  was  forced  into  the 
white  heat  of  human  passions.  Sin  has  raged 
long,  and  its  devouring  flame  has  spread 
scorching  all.  Not  one  has  escaped  though 
some  have  been  delivered  with  a  mere  singe 
yet  there  is  the  mark  and  trace  of  sin.  What! 


42 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


is  this  stainless  man  who  has  a  consciousness 
within  that  there  is  no  break  between  himself 
and  Heaven  to  be  rushed  into  the  wings  of 
this  unconquerable  flame?  The  winds  of 
earth-born  sense  are  stout,  fierce,  and  persist¬ 
ent  in  lashing  the  flame  all  about  him.  They 
half  conceal  their  hidden  roar  and  bring  their 
fires  through  the  most  subtle  and  seemingly 
natural  way.  This  pure  man  knows  what  sin 
is  no  matter  under  what  guise  it  slinks  in.  He 
has  a  foil  for  every  approach. 

He  tarries  before  the  face  of  God  for  forty 
days  and  nights  in  meditation  and  prayer.  Sin 
tries  hard  to  climb  into  his  motive  and  imagin¬ 
ation  but  he  foils  it  at  every  turn.  “And 
when  he  had  fasted  for  forty  days  and  forty 
nights,  he  afterward  hungered.”  Satan 
seizes  this  as  his  opportunity  to  invade  his 
sacred  character  and  soil  it  with  the  stain  of 
sin  with  all  mortal  kind  that  has  gone  before. 
But  this  man  whose  countenance  is  marred  as 
no  other  and  whose  flesh  is  emaciated — even 
his  vitality  reduced  to  the  breaking  tension, 
does  not  place  his  hand  upon  his  breast,  say¬ 
ing  within  himself,  “Soul,  thou  hast  remained 
spotless  and  pure  all  this  while,  and  hast  much 
merit  laid  up  to  thy  credit,  so  now  take  a  little 
of  the  liberty  that  rightly  is  coming  to  thee.” 


How  He  Came  Forth 


43 


On  such  a  compromise  all  humanity  is  lost. 
But  the  Christ  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  stony 
wastes  impregnable. 

He  fights  and  prays  for  forty  days  without 
food.  His  frame  is  well-nigh  wasted  away. 
The  very  blood  begins  to  leave  the  veins.  The 
countenance  is  marred — no  flush  remains  upon 
the  cheek.  A  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  griefs  with  scarcely  sufficient  strength  left 
to  lift  his  head,  gazes  upon  the  barren  stones 
in  his  meditation.  The  Tempter  believes  his 
chance  has  come  at  last  so  he  subtlely  dis¬ 
guises  himself  and  makes  the  best  of  things  at 
hand,  saying,  “Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  how 
easy  it  would  be  to  change  these  stone  into 
bread  and  satisfy  the  ravishing  hunger  that  is 
wasting  thy  body,  and  thus  save  thy  life.” 

As  soon  as  it  appears  Christ  recognizes  it. 
(But  what  harm  can  it  be  for  a  starving  man 
to  make  bread  and  eat  it  when  it  is  within  his 
power  to  do  so — even  at  his  word?  So  has  the 
world  argued,  and  so  have  men  lost  sight  of 
the  golden  quest  of  life.  The  clamor  for 
bread  as  a  necessity  has  superceded  and 
crowded  out  the  real  and  chief  design  of  life 
— moral  and  spiritual  conquest  in  and  with 
God.  It  bolts  in  as  a  necessity  and  when  it 
has  forced  its  entrance  it  fixes  its  roots  in  a 


44 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


firm  grip,  and  lo,  and  behold,  they  are  the  all- 
devouring  roots  of  greed  so  firmly  fixed  that 
they  sap  every  appearance  of  vitality  that 
would  yield  a  healthy  growth  of  character. 
So  men  gorge  themselves  with  things  of  this 
world,  and  crowd  out  the  spirit’s  finer  need. 
Hence  the  warning  and  the  exhortation  of  the 
apostle — “If  Christ  is  in  you,  the  body  is  dead 
because  of  sin;  but  the  spirit  is  life  because 
of  righteousness.”) 

Will  this  man  turn  either  to  the  right  or  to 
the  left?  Sin  reigns  in  the  mortal  body  and 
all  that  turn  that  way  is  death.  If  the  spirit 
is  chained  about  and  mastered  by  the  body  it 
is  dead  also.  Spirit  must  have  absolute  mas¬ 
tery  if  it  is  to  become  the  Spirit  in  likeness  and 
nature.  The  body  must  be  fed  only  to  serve 
the  spirit  in  its  needs.  In  God’s  order  it  has 
no  right  to  make  demands  upon  the  spirit  to 
fulfill  its  cravings  and  lusts.  It  can  in  nowise 
cause  the  spirit  to  halt  in  its  quest  and  subor¬ 
dinate  its  activities  in  creating  bread  even  for 
the  most  stinging  hunger  pangs.  The  body 
must  suffer  discomfort  till  it  is  completely 
brought  under  the  leading  of  the  spirit  which 
is  directed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  Out 
of  this  conflict  emerges  the  pure  white  Christ 
who  answers  Satan’s  suggestion  and  challenge, 


How  He  Came  Forth 


45 


saying, 

“Why  ask  for  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  to  turn  these  stone  to  bread?  Why  be 
over-anxious?  Why  seek  to  bring  things  to 
pass  prematurely  by  permitting  the  carnal 
clamor  to  displace  the  spiritual  needs?  My 
Father  knows  that  I  have  need  of  all  these 
things  and  will  make  ample  provision  for  the 
same  if  I  am  faithful  in  the  things  that  con¬ 
cern  the  kingdom.  Has  not  the  greed  of  men 
always  sought  to  prostitute  the  God-given 
things  of  the  spirit  in  their  mad  rush  for 
bread?  Here  they  have  lost  their  spiritual 
freshness  mid  the  wastes  of  death.  It  is  so 
with  men — everything  is  bent  to  the  greed  of 
gain.  I  must  rise  above  and  master  these 
things  no  matter  how  exacting  ravishing  hun¬ 
ger  becomes  in  lack  of  bread.  From  the  ac¬ 
customed  carnel  point  of  view  this  would  seem 
an  act  altogether  justifiable  but  when  I  lift  up 
mine  eyes  unto  my  Father  I  see  it  the  mon¬ 
ster  devouring  this  humanity.  “Man  shall 
not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that 
proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God.”  Satan, 
I  shall  live  after  this  manner  of  life  if  it  re¬ 
quires  the  very  last  cell  of  my  body  to  do  so.” 

“Well,”  says  Satan,  “thou  sayest  that  man 
shall  live  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out 


4  6 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


of  the  mouth  of  God.  I  too  accept  that  state¬ 
ment  of  the  truth.  Spiritual  things  must  be 
experienced  in  order  to  know  them.  The 
word  of  God  must  be  tested  as  thou  goest  in 
life.  Here  is  an  opportunity  to  test  the  word, 
and  at  the  same  time  show  to  the  rulers  of  the 
Jews  that  of  a  truth  thou  art  the  Messiah. 
From  this  pinnacle  of  the  temple  in  the  midst 
of  the  holy  city  cast  thyself  down  into  the 
throng  in  the  court,  for  it  is  written, 

‘He  shall  give  his  angels  charge  concerning 
thee;  and, 

On  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up, 

Lest  haply  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a 
stone.’ 

“Test  out  this  word,  for  thou  hast  said  a 
man  must  live  by  it,  and  what  a  man  must 
live  by  must  surely  stand  the  test.  Surely 
thou  wilt  not  hesitate  to  prove  out  what  thou 
sayest.  Thou  art  so  holy  and  good  that  God 
will  not  suffer  any  harm  to  befall  thee.  Then 
too  thou  wouldst  have  the  rulers  of  this  na¬ 
tion  accept  thee  as  their  Messiah.” 

But  here  also  the  Master  foils  the  Tempter, 
saying,  “Subtle  Tempter,  thou  wouldst  have 
me  enter  the  ranks  of  sinning  humanity  by 


How  He  Came  Forth 


47 


falling  into  this  grave  error  of  testing  God’s 
word  in  this  outward  physical  way  where  all 
is  lost.  This  wicked  and  adulterous  genera¬ 
tion  seeketh  a  sign — their  lust  for  the  miracu¬ 
lous  is  a  raging  mania — they  would  see  the 
power  of  the  Messiah  of  God  demonstrated  in 
some  ‘strange  thing,’  ;Some  miraculous  dis¬ 
play  out  of  the  heavens.  This  is  their  great 
sin.  Here  is  where  they  lose  out.  Satan, 
thou  wouldst  in  this  subtle  appeal  wrest  re¬ 
demption  from  humanity  by  submerging  me 
beneath  the  awful  deluge  of  sin  with  all  the 
rest  of  the  forlorn  and  wasted  race.  Arch¬ 
deceiver  of  the  race,  I  will  live  by  faith  and 
spiritual  companionship  of  my  Father. 
Thereby  all  flesh  must  be  justified  in  the  sight 
of  God.  Here  is  a  foil.  It  is  God’s  word 
too,  and  I  quote  it  in  its  proper  relation  to 
the  truth  it  was  designed  to  set  forth.  “Thou 
shalt  not  make  trial  of  the  Lord  thy  God.” 
But  as  for  thee,  Prince  of  Devils,  thou  know- 
est  perfectly  well  that  thou  hast  taken  the 
sweetest  promise  of  divine  protection  out  of 
its  proper  setting  of  truth  and  hast  thrown  it 
into  the  distorted  lusts  of  men  for  the  curious. 
Thou  hast  deliberately,  maliciously,  and  will¬ 
fully  misused  a  most  precious  portion  of  sa¬ 
cred  scripture.  Thou  didst  use  it  so  to  further 


48  The  Silent  Nazarene 

thine  own  infernal  purpose.” 

“Satan,  hast  thou  an  answer  for  the  invinci¬ 
ble  Christ  even  here?”  This  monster  of  pre¬ 
sumption  dares  even  to  bolt  in  after  two  such 
decisive  defeats.  This  time  he  takes  him  unto 
an  exceeding  high  mountain,  and  shows  him 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the  glory 
of  them.  Here  he  speaks  unto  him  after  this 
wise,  saying: 

“Great  Son  of  God,  thou  hast  merited  much, 
and  is  it  not  for  thee  as  God’s  chosen — even 
His  Messiah  to  rule  the  world?  The  whole 
will  lay  at  thy  feet  at  thy  word.  Thou  hast 
often  gone  to  the  mountain  to  pray  and  coun¬ 
sel  with  God.  From  this  mountain  see  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world  with  all  their 
wealth  and  glory!  I  will  make  thee  first. 
Thou  shalt  have  no  peer  in  all  the  earth.  All 
kings  and  mighty  of  the  earth  shall  call  thee 
Lord  and  King.  ‘All  these  things  will  I  give 
thee,  if  thou  wilt  fall  down  and  worship  me.’ 
I  am  the  ‘Prince  of  this  world,’  as  thou  thy¬ 
self  wilt  acknowledge.  How  many  even  less 
worthy  than  thou  art  ruling  in  gorgeous  splen¬ 
dor.  All  at  my  behest.” 

Is  the  fate  of  lost  humanity  trembling  in 
the  balances  at  subtle  words  like  these?  And 
here  too  all  things  are  in  the  hands  of  one 


How  He  Came  Forth 


49 


man.  Humanity’s  whole  case  rests  with  him. 
What  if  he  should  make  a  misstep?  Upon 
that  failure  the  fate  of  all  humanity  would 
be  sealed.  But,  lo,  the  Man  with  whom  we 
have  to  deal  in  this  matter  is  the  only  one  of 
the  race — he  is  always  sure,  he  never  sidesteps. 
Standing  breathless  at  this  awful  moment  hu¬ 
manity  can  well  wait  his  utterance.  It  is  alto¬ 
gether  decisive.  Here  it  is,  “Get  thee  hence, 
Satan:  for  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship 
the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou 
serve.” 

He  sees  the  lie  and  thrusts  it  from  him. 
The  pure  white  truth  of  God’s  word  is  his 
guiding  star.  The  gorgeous  apparel  of  the 
palace  could  not  conceal  from  the  searching 
eye  of  the  pure  white  Christ  the  hidden  sting 
that  blighted  the  world— he  saw  death  in  vain 
pride,  and  the  soul  impoverished  in  the  exub¬ 
erance  of  things  of  the  world.  The  miracu¬ 
lous  could  not  hide  the  lurid  light  of  perverted 
motive.  Hunger’s  pangs  could  not  stifle  and 
thwart  the  spirit’s  finer  needs.  Nature’s  bar¬ 
renness,  sin’s  foulness — all  clamoring  about 
a  pure  and  spotless  soul  but  had  no  power  to 
stain  him.  Spotless  he  came  into  the  desert 
from  the  baptismal  stream;  flawless  he  abode 
there;  stainless  he  came  forth  to  take  away  the 


50 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


sin  of  the  world. 

Edens  bowers  may  seem  fair , 

Life  of  Christ  is  fairer  still, 

For  no  serpent  lingers  there — 

All  is  God  the  Father  s  will. 

Christ  has  caught  upon  his  lips 
Sweetest  music  of  the  years; 

Strains  of  peaceful  Olivet 
Rise  from  out  our  mortal  fears . 

The  scene  with  a  back-ground  of  rough  ex¬ 
posed  rocks,  at  the  ragged  edges  of  which  the 
snarled  and  twisted,  struggling,  starved  scrub 
life  fought  for  its  place;  with  long  stretches 
of  thistle  and  dead  grass  whose  monotony  is 
broken  by  an  aged  thorn-bush  with  its  creep¬ 
ing  vine  here  and  there,  formed  the  Eden  in 
which  the  God-Man  achieved.  “Get  thee 
hence,  Satan:”  was  said  for  all  time  to  come. 
The  lines  are  drawn  clear  and  distinct.  There 
was  no  compromise  that  possibly  the  other 
might  be  right  if  circumstances  were  different. 
The  Devil  leaves  him.  The  temptations  are 
thrust  wholly  aside.  These  marks  are  clearly 
seen  in  all  his  subsequent  life.  The  victorious 
champion  stands  in  the  very  frown  of  the  deso- 


How  He  Came  Forth 


5i 


lation  of  starved  wasted  nature.  Angels  come 
and  minister  to  him,  while  the  wild  beasts  go 
quietly  to  their  lairs.  This  Man  teaches  us  to 
go  forward  in  trust,  knowing  that  in  due  sea¬ 
son  God  provides  for  both  spiritual  and  phy¬ 
sical  needs  if  we  faint  not. 

Of  the  victory — What?  God  sanctions  the 
laws  of  subsistence,  and  that  for  the  achieving 
of  the  higher  ends.  But  he  never  sanctions 
greed.  “Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone , 
but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the 
mouth  of  God.”  In  regard  to  Divine  protec¬ 
tion  we  are  to  count  on  that,  but  there  must 
be  no  uncalled  for  exposure  of  one’s  life  to  dan¬ 
ger  in  order  to  make  a  premature  and  gross  test 
of  God’s  love  and  care.  His  great  love  and  ten¬ 
der  care  we  are  to  take  for  granted  and  move 
accordingly  about  our  duties  of  life  in  a  sa¬ 
cred  trust  undisturbed  by  preying  doubts  and 
fears.  Do  not  be  anxious  to  test  His  presence 
but  take  that  as  the  basis  of  your  life  without 
question,  “Thou  shalt  not  make  trial  of  the 
Lord  thy  God.”  So  to  lord  it  over  your  fel¬ 
low  will  never  meet  God’s  approval.  It  is 
not  in  accord  with  God’s  law  and  order.  He 
who  would  rule  best  is  he  who  serves  best. 
Jesus  in  giving  his  final  verdict  to  the  Tempter 
says,  “Thou  shalt  not  worship  the  vain  lust 


52 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


of  this  world/’  but  “thou  shalt  worship  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve.” 
Is  he  that  so  serves  his  God  any  other  than  he 
that  serves  his  fellowman?  He  is  our  flawless 
Champion  who  near  the  close  of  his  earthly 
life  makes  clear  to  his  fellows  on  this  wise, 
saying,  “I  am  in  your  midst  as  he  that  serves.” 
The  same  said,  “My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  me,”  when  referring  to  his  work 
of  guiding  the  sinful  woman  of  Sychar  into 
the  ways  of  life.  He  forges  the  one  chain  of 
service — brother  to  brother  in  the  love  of  the 
Father. 

They  Followed  Him 

Was  this  not  so  with  men  from  the  very 
first?  He  goes  from  the  wilderness  of  Temp¬ 
tation  into  the  thronged  and  busy  regions  about 
the  sea  of  Galilee.  What!  does  he  not  retire 
into  the  wilderness  and  emerge  from  it  from 
time  to  time  with  burning  messages?  What 
manner  of  conduct  is  this  for  a  prophet?  He 
is  going  to  live  in  the  nervous  throng  of  hu¬ 
manity — have  a  house  in  Capernaum  by  the 
sea  where  the  trade  of  all  the  lands  centre, 
and  not  among  the  quiet  hills  of  Nazareth. 
His  dwelling  is  to  be  by  the  beautiful  blue 
waters  of  Galilee  abounding  with  fish.  But 


How  He  Came  Forth 


53 


even  in  these  fruitful  waters  the  fishermen 
have  toiled  all  night  and  have  taken  nothing. 

Though  at  times  the  sea  was  slow  to  give 
of  its  abundance  of  fish,  and  freakish  storms 
arose  upon  the  waters,  driving  the  persistent 
waves  against  the  fragile  fishing  crafts,  ham¬ 
mering  them  as  though  to  forbid  any  further 
pursuit  after  the  teeming  life  that  swarm 
its  depths,  yet  this  sea  was  like  a  great  nest 
fledging  out  a  sturdy,  persistent,  persevering, 
patient,  and  conquering  life.  Here  men  could 
toil  all  night  and  take  nothing,  yet  the  dawn 
would  find  them  with  unabating  energies  at 
their  tasks,  and  too  these  men  could  forego 
the  breaking  of  their  fast  that  they  might  con¬ 
tinue  to  wrestle  with  the  waves  and  the  sea 
for  the  prize  they  sought.  In  the  heat  of  the 
day  the  breeze  from  the  lake,  met  by  the  upper 
breeze  from  the  great  sea,  refreshed  their 
feverish  brows.  So  these  fishermen  were 
giants  in  physical  strength  and  enduring  cour¬ 
age.  They  knew  what  price  they  must  pay 
for  that  which  they  sought.  It  was  by  this 
sea  that  the  young  Teacher  of  Nazareth 
walked.  Was  it  accident  that  he  settled  by  the 
shore  of  Galilee,  and  resorted  thither  to  teach 
the  multitudes? 

It  is  a  beautiful  morning.  The  sun  has 


54 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


risen  upon  the  high  eastern  hills  that  overlook 
the  lake.  The  dews  have  not  yet  left  the  ter¬ 
raced  gardens  upon  which  Hermon  smiles. 
The  Man  of  Nazareth  walks  by  the  sea  whose 
waters  are  washing  the  roots  of  the  palm-tree. 
There  is  a  multitude  upon  the  shore.  Mer¬ 
chants  from  afar  with  their  attendants,  fisher¬ 
men  going  to  and  coming  from  their  work 
(some  coming  away  empty  and  others  have 
taken  a  “great  draught”),  people  who  have 
come  out  of  the  city  and  from  the  region 
round  about  to  hear  the  young  Teacher,  for  all 
men  seek  him,  make  up  the  multitude  by  the 
sea  of  Galilee  that  morning.  A  goodly  num¬ 
ber  of  merchants  who  are  passing  up  from 
Taricheae,  where  the  fish  are  cured,  to  visit 
the  market  at  Capernaum,  on  seeing  the  multi¬ 
tude  are  curious  to  know  what  it  is  all  about, 
turn  aside  to  listen  to  the  young  Nazarene. 
So  a  great  portion  of  that  multitude  is  com¬ 
posed  of  those  who  seek  those  things  “after 
which  the  Gentiles  seek.”  It  is  difficult  to 
get  a  standing  place  on  even  the  edge  of  the 
shore  for  those  of  the  multitude  are  crowding 
each  other  as  they  were  wont  to  do.  The  fish¬ 
ermen’s  boats  are  empty  as  the  fishermen  have 
gone  out  to  wash  their  nets.  The  young  Jew 
from  Nazareth  enters  one  of  those  boats.  Did 


How  He  Came  Forth 


55 


it  happen  to  be  so?  It  was  Simon’s.  Had 
Simon  met  up  with  this  young  Jew  before? 
Andrew  had  been  with  John  the  Baptist  by  the 
Jordan,  when  that  hardy  preacher  of  right¬ 
eousness  pointed  out  this  young  Nazarene  as 
“The  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin 
of  the  world.”  Andrew  follows  this  man  of 
Nazareth  as  he  comes  up  from  the  solitary 
wilderness  of  Temptation  by  the  place  at  the 
Jordan  where  John  was  baptizing.  Andrew 
was  accompanied  by  a  young  man  who  was 
also  one  of  John’s  disciples.  Jesus  turned, 
and  beheld  them  following,  and  saith  unto 
them,  “What  seek  ye?”  And  they  said  unto 
him,  “Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being  inter¬ 
preted,  Teacher),  where  abidest  thou?”  He 
said  unto  them,  “Come,  and  ye  shall  see.” 
They  accept  the  generous  invitation  given. 
The  first  thing  Andrew  does  is  to  go  out  after 
his  own  brother  Simon.  Finding  him  he  says 
to  him,  “We  have  found  the  Messiah  (which 
is,  being  interpreted,  the  Christ).  Simon  has 
always  been  enthusiastic  upon  the  subject  of 
the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  How  many 
hours  did  they  toil  and  take  nothing  that 
Simon’s  countenance  would  light  up  with  a 
lively  discussion  on  the  coming  Messiah. 
There  is  John  preaching  it  too.  The  heart  of 


56 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


Andrew  burns  all  the  while,  for  he  can  not 
express  himself  in  glowing  verities  as  Simon 
can.  However  he  goes  off  and  joins  John. 
He  is  an  exceptionally  good  listener.  Now 
having  found  the  Messiah  he  does  the  big 
thing  for  Simon  (more  than  Simon  ever  did 
for  Andrew  in  all  his  glowing  discourses  on 
the  coming  Messiah)  ;  he  brings  him  to  Jesus. 
So  the  new  Teacher  enters  Simon’s  boat.  (Had 
not  this  young  Nazarene  observed  this  sturdy 
fisherman  many  times  as  he  passed  along  that 
way  on  the  shore?  Now  Simon  is  washing 
his  net,  for  it  has  gathered  a  great  deal  of  filth 
during  the  long  night  of  fruitless  toil.)  The 
young  Jew  asks  Simon  “to  put  out  a  little  from 
the  land.”  He  sat  down  and  taught  the  mul¬ 
titudes  out  of  the  boat.  A  plain  fisherman’s 
boat  was  his  pulpit,  and  hearts  of  plain  fisher¬ 
men  were  receiving  his  words.  Simon  has 
left  off  washing  his  nets,  and  is  listening 
quietly  and  attentively  to  the  words  of  wis¬ 
dom  that  fall  from  the  lips  of  the  Teacher. 
All  this  has  been  bubbling  up  in  Simon’s  soul, 
and  yet  how  strangely  the  words  of  the 
preacher  sound.  He  seems  not  to  be  as  ready 
as  he  thought  for  them.  The  speaker  is  paus¬ 
ing.  It  is  time  to  begin  fishing?  but  how 
strangely  Simon  acts?  He  would  rather  lis- 


How  He  Came  Forth 


57 


ten  to  these  words  though  he  can  not  under¬ 
stand  just  how  and  what.  (For  this  Teacher 
has  been  speaking  so  differently  from  what 
they  were  accustomed  to  hear  from  the  scribes 
of  the  Pharisees.)  But  now  this  Teacher  who 
has  been  speaking  so  earnestly  about  life,  lov¬ 
ing-kindness  and  God  the  Father,  says  unto 
Simon,  “Put  out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down 
your  nets  for  a  draught.”  A  look  of  surprise 
comes  over  the  face  of  Simon.  He  is  puzzled 
for  many  reasons.  He  can  do  nothing  other 
than  comply  with  the  bidding  of  the  Teacher, 
though  he  must  in  keeping  with  his  nature 
offer  a  slight  protest,  saying,  “Master,  we 
toiled  all  night,  and  took  nothing:  but  at  thy 
word  I  will  let  down  the  net.”  Having  done 
as  they  were  bidden,  they  enclose  a  great  mul¬ 
titude  of  fishes;  and  their  nets  are  breaking. 
And  they  beckon  to  their  partners  in  the  other 
boat,  that  they  should  come  and  help  them. 
They  fill  both  boats  till  they  begin  to  sink. 
Simon  Peter  is  overwhelmed.  He  is  not  ready 
to  stand  in  the  presence  of  one  who  can  work 
after  this  fashion.  He  has  always  been  rather 
too  self-confident.  He  falls  down  at  Jesus’s 
knees,  saying,  “Depart  from  me;  for  I  am  a 
sinful  man,  O  Lord.”  James  and  John,  the 
sons  of  Zebedee,  who  have  come  out  of  the 


58 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


other  boat  to  assist  in  hauling  in  the  breaking 
nets  with  the  great  multitude  of  fishes,  are 
standing  nearby  with  Andrew,  being  greatly 
amazed  at  these  things.  But  the  Teacher  is 
not  through  teaching  yet.  He  is  giving  them 
a  great  object  lesson.  So  Jesus,  looking  di¬ 
rectly  into  the  perplexed  countenance  of 
Simon,  who  is  kneeling  at  his  feet,  says  unto 
him,  “Fear  not;  from  henceforth  thou  shalt 
catch  men.”  The  other  three  fishermen  knew 
that  these  words  as  well  as  this  object  lesson 
were  meant  for  them  likewise.  So  bringing 
their  boats  to  land  they  left  all,  and  followed 
him. 

The  little  company  is  headed  for  the  higher 
ground  of  Galilee.  They  pass  out  of  the  great 
road  into  Galilee  by  Capernaum.  Climbing 
the  higher  ground,  the  olives  and  figs  become 
more  and  more  numerous,  while  the  palm- 
trees  with  their  shade  are  left  far  behind  by 
the  blue  sea,  and  the  little  company  is  moving 
in  a  more  bracing  and  cooler  atmosphere. 
They  are  going  toward  Cana.  A  wedding  is 
on  hand,  and  Jesus  has  an  invitation.  He  will 
take  his  newly  found  friends  with  him.  As 
these  four  fishermen  walk  along  side  of  the 
carpenter  from  Nazareth,  but  whom  they 
know  only  as  Master,  they  are  deeply  en- 


How  He  Came  Forth 


59 


grossed  in  what  he  is  saying.  As  they  go  they 
meet  up  with  Philip,  who  is  from  Bethsaida, 
of  the  city  of  Andrew  and  Peter.  These  old 
friends  at  once  fall  into  a  lively  conversation. 
They  tell  Philip  they  have  found  the  Messiah 
relating  the  whole  story  of  the  draught  of 
fishes,  and  insist  that  he  too  join  them.  Though 
Jesus  is  busy  as  the  little  company  is  about 
to  set  forth  upon  their  journey  again,  he  calls 
to  Philip,  saying,  “Follow  me.”  So  Philip 
becomes  one  of  the  Company  over  the  hills  of 
Galilee. 

Philip  is  thinking  of  his  friend  Nathanael, 
for  they  are  bound  by  the  closest  ties  of  friend¬ 
ship.  He  would  like  to  have  Nathanael  in 
that  company  too.  So  as  they  approach  Cana 
Philip  withdraws  from  the  company,  which 
has  halted  for  a  rest,  and  goes  forth  to  seek  his 
friend.  He  finds  him  in  deep  meditation 
resting  beneath  a  fig-tree.  He  relates  the 
story  of  the  multitude  of  fishes  as  told  him  by 
Andrew  and  Peter.  Nathanael  is  a  good  lis¬ 
tener,  but  he  does  not  believe  all  he  hears,  and 
he  too  is  acquainted  with  the  enthusiastic 
Simon  Peter.  So  he  must  make  a  good  allow¬ 
ance  for  the  story  of  the  fishes  as  told  by  Simon 
to  his  friend  Philip.  But  Philip  urges  him  to 
join  that  company,  saying,  “We  have  found 


6  o 


The  Silent  Nazar  ene 


him,  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law,  and  the 
prophets  wrote,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of 
Joseph.”  The  name  of  Nazareth  adds 
nothing  to  the  force  of  Philip’s  invitation.  It 
rather  detracts,  throwing  the  whole  matter  in 
a  rather  unfavorable  light.  Even  Nathanael 
is  a  little  agitated  when  Philip  intimates  that 
the  Messiah  has  come  out  of  Nazareth.  He, 
Nathanael,  knows  all  about  Nazareth,  having 
lived  all  his  life  in  Cana.  To  a  resident  of 
Cana  the  name  Nazareth  does  not  sound  good. 
Out  of  his  piqued  pride  he  answers  Philip, 
saying,  “Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Naz¬ 
areth?”  Is  Philip’s  ardor  chilled  at  this 
thrust?  He  looks  into  the  face  of  Nathanael, 
which  wears  a  more  satisfied  look  after  giving 
vent  to  his  feelings,  and  says  calmly, “Come  and 
see.”  This  is  too  much  for  Nathanael. 
Philip  has  him.  As  they  go  from  the  shade 
of  the  fig-tree  the  silence  is  unbroken.  They 
are  now  passing  up  over  the  hill  and  coming 
in  sight  of  the  little  party  that  is  resting.  The 
young  leader,  who  is  looking  that  way,  sees 
Nathanael  coming  with  Philip,  remarks  to  the 
little  group,  saying,  “Behold,  an  Israelite  in 
whom  there  is  no  guile.”  Was  Philip  deep 
down  in  his  soul  wishing  the  Teacher  had  not 
said  this?  (For  they  were  come  within  hear- 


How  He  Came  Forth  61 

i 

ing  distance.)  Philip  is  keenly  aware  that 
Nathanael  is  averse  to  flattery.  It  is  even  so — 
Nathanael  must  question  the  compliment  from 
this  stranger?  Or,  is  he  surprised  at  the 
frankness  with  which  the  Nazarene  spoke  it? 
However  this  may  be,  he  says  unto  him, 
“Whence  knowest  thou  me?”  Has  he  thrown 
the  stranger  into  confusion  so  that  he  is  at  a 
loss  to  answer?  There  is  no  hesitancy.  The 
Teacher  is  ready  with  the  reply,  saying,  “Be¬ 
fore  Philip  called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under 
the  fig-tree,  I  saw  thee.”  (This  is  not  a  speech 
of  one  seeking  to  work  himself  into  the  good 
graces  of  another.  He  has  committed  himself 
too  far  for  that.)  With  a  glance  into  that 
frank  face  Nathanael  confesses  reverently, 
saying,  “Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of  God;  thou 
art  King  of  Israel.”  The  skeptic,  now 
changed  to  believer,  lives  in  the  supreme  faith 
of  his  Master.  Jesus  anounces  to  him  the  un¬ 
limited  possibilities  of  the  faith  he  is  entering, 
saying,  “Because  I  said  unto  thee,  I  saw  thee 
underneath  the  fig  tree,  believest  thou?  thou 
shalt  see  greater  things  than  these.”  Nathan¬ 
ael  does  not  need  any  formal  invitation.  He 
simply  falls  in  line,  and  loses  himself  in  the 
spirit  of  the  Master. 

The  little  company  files  out  of  the  hills  into 


6  2 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


the  deep  valley  which  forms  the  shoreline 
round  the  great  blue  lake  of  Gennesaret.  They 
have  been  bathed  in  the  refreshing  breeze 
of  the  hills  of  Galilee  and  are  now  come  into 
the  tropical  heat  of  the  valley  of  the  lake  re¬ 
gion.  Capernaum  is  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  lake.  Here  the  great  road  leading  from 
East  to  West  is  daily  thronged  with  mer¬ 
chants — a  fit  place  also  for  publicans  to  sit  at 
the  receipt  of  custom.  This  Man  of  Naz¬ 
areth  passes  up  and  down  that  road  with  his 
little  group  of  followers.  He  goes  in  and  out 
from  his  home  in  Capernaum.  How  often  at 
the  close  of  day  he  saw  the  despised  publicans 
in  his  place  ready  to  collect  toll  from  those 
who  passed  by.  “How  much?”  and  it  was 
always  enough  that  the  giver  gave  it  grudg¬ 
ingly.  How  the  fishermen  dislike  the  publi¬ 
can,  even  after  toiling  all  night  in  fruitless 
labor,  on  entering  the  city  to  their  homes  they 
must  be  annoyed  by  these  publicans.  Then, 
too,  these  toll  gatherers  were  all  too  numer¬ 
ous.  Could  not  a  Jew  get  at  a  better  occupa¬ 
tion?  These  publicans  were  despised  by  fish¬ 
ermen  and  merchants — sellers  and  traders  of 
every  rank  and  description.  The  Jews  called 
them  dogs  of  sinners  and  the  Gentiles  regard 
them  as  troublesome  meddlers.  But  here  is  a 


How  He  Came  Forth 


63 


Jew  who  has  recently  come  to  reside  at  Caper¬ 
naum  who  has  no  such  aversion  for  this  class 
even.  He  has  passed  and  repassed  a  receipt 
of  custom  of  a  rather  distinguished  looking 
publican.  He  always  has  a  kind  word  for  the 
toll-gatherer  too.  The  publican  in  like  man¬ 
ner  is  attracted  to  him.  One  day  as  he  passed 
by  and  saw  this  man,  Levi,  the  son  of  Alphaeus, 
sitting  at  the  place  of  toll,  he  says  unto  him, 
“Follow  me.”  And  he  forsook  all,  and  rose 
up  and  followed  him.  Did  the  fishermen  do 
more  when  they  had  a  like  invitation  from 
this  young  Teacher?  This  Man  has  a  strange 
way  of  measuring  hearts. 

More  publicans  would  like  to  have  gotten 
into  that  little  company  whose  leader  mani¬ 
fested  such  an  interest  in  them.  “Many  fol¬ 
lowed  him.”  He  comes  to  his  house.  Does 
he  close  the  door  on  them?  He  throws  it  open 
wide  and  invites  them  all  in  to  eat  meat  with 
him.  This  is  a  strange  thing  for  a  teacher,  or 
prophet  to  do.  He  will  ruin  his  good  name. 
The  thing  is  swiftly  told  the  scribes  and  Phari¬ 
sees,  who  have  not  seen  this  disgraceful  thing 
with  their  very  eyes.  Good  Abraham  is  look¬ 
ing  on  with  such  dire  disgust.  He  had  about 
made  up  his  mind  to  join  this  Teacher  himself. 
But  this  settles  the  question  forever  so  far  as 


6  4 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


he  is  concerned.  He  has  seen  sufficient  to  con¬ 
vince  himself  in  regard  to  the  matter.  With 
his  holy  conscience  smitten  he  goes  and  pub¬ 
lishes  the  matter  as  widely  as  possible.  He 
does  so  toawith  a  sigh.  How  sorry  he  is  that 
it  is  so,  and  he  is  obliged  to  tell  it — but  never¬ 
theless  it  is  the  awful  fact.  It  must  be  reck¬ 
oned  with.  He  is  eager  to  enlighten  the  dis¬ 
ciples  as  to  the  seriousness  of  this  conduct  of 
their  Master,  saying,  “How  is  it  that  he  eateth 
and  drinketh  with  publicans  and  sinners?” 
The  disciples  tell  the  Master,  which  is  the 
thing  the  Pharisee  wished  them  to  do.  The 
Master  is  ready  with  his  answer.  He  will 
take  the  Pharisee  at  his  suggestion  that  these 
publicans  are  the  chief  of  sinners.  But  it  is 
just  for  such  as  these  he  has  come.  So  he  an¬ 
swers  their  question  which  was  designed  to 
call  him  to  account  for  his  conduct,  saying, 
“They  that  are  whole  have  no  need  of  a  physi¬ 
cian,  but  they  that  are  sick:  I  came  not  to  call 
the  righteous,  but  sinners” 

That  ends  the  matter  upon  that  question  so 
far  as  the  disciples  are  concerned.  However, 
it  is  but  the  beginning^  of  the  festering  hurt  in 
the  heart  of  the  jealous,  envious  Pharisee,  who 
stumbles  on  in  his  blind  piety. 


How  He  Came  Forth 


65 


They  Eyed  Him 

John  the  Baptist  is  leading  the  austere,  as¬ 
cetic  life,  teaching  his  disciples  this  manner  of 
living.  He  is  instilling  into  his  followers  the 
necessity  of  fasting  often.  The  fasts  also  were 
scrupulously  observed  by  the  Pharisees.  When 
John  at  the  Jordan  pointed  out  this  man  of 
Nazareth  as  “The  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world!”  the  disciples  of 
the  preacher  of  righteousness  set  their  eye  on 
him.  They  hear  him  say  to  their  master 
when  he  requests  baptism  that  it  must  be  done 
to  fulfill  all  righteousness.  Their  master  has 
pointed  him  out  as  the  one  greater  than  the 
Baptist  himself.  Therefore  they  are  vigi¬ 
lantly  observing  his  conduct  especially  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  austere,  ascetic  life.  They  are 
careful  to  fast  oft,  and  likewise  are  the  disci¬ 
ples  of  the  Pharisees  very  scrupulous  in  this 
matter  of  fasting,  but  the  disciples  of  Jesus  not 
only  ignore  the  fast  but  feast  with  publicans 
and  sinners.  This,  therefore,  not  only  be¬ 
comes  a  source  of  annoyance  but  a  matter  of 
grave  concern.  So  the  disciples  of  John  and 
those  of  the  Pharisees  get  together,  and  send  a 
delegation  to  the  Teacher.  These  come  to 
Jesus  and  say  unto  him,  “The  disciples  of 


66 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


John  fast  often,  and  make  supplications;  like¬ 
wise  also  the  disciples  of  the  Pharisees;  but 
thine  eat  and  drink.” 

Jesus  is  in  no  wise  disturbed  by  this  advice 
put  in  form  of  a  request  for  information,  even 
though  John’s  disciples  were  among  those  con¬ 
cerned  who  so  busied  themselves,  but  answers 
with  deliberation  not  merely  their  question 
about  which  they  were  so  much  exercised,  but 
firmly  tells  them  that  the  old  order  is  at  an 
end  and  that  the  new  order  has  already  come 
in — inferring  that  both  the  disciples  of  John 
and  of  the  Pharisees  are  of  the  old  while  his 
disciples  are  children  of  the  new,  saying,  “Can 
ye  make  the  sons  of  the  bride  chamber  fast, 
while  the  bridegroom  is  with  them?  But  the 
days  will  come :  and  when  the  bridegroom  will 
be  taken  away  from  them,  then  will  they  fast 
in  those  days.”  It  were  as  though  he  cast  his 
eye  over  the  great  future  which  his  vision 
penetrated  through  and  through,  saying,  “Let 
these  sons  of  the  bridechamber  rejoice  while 
the  bridegroom  is  with  them,  but  in  the  very 
nature  of  things  the  time  will  speedily  come 
when  they  will  be  called  upon  to  deny  them¬ 
selves  for  sake  of  the  bridegroom  and  that 
for  which  he  stands.  The  things  for  which  I 
stand  will  bring  pressure  from  both  sides — 


How  He  Came  Forth 


67 


the  over-scrupulous  and  religious  will  despise 
me  and  the  things  I  teach,  while  on  the  other 
hand  the  world  will  have  no  part  in  me  for  I 
am  not  of  the  world.  A  new  order  comes  in 
with  me.  I  make  no  attempt  to  graft  it  upon 
the  old  order.  Neither  the  over-charged 
conscience  of  the  Pharisees,  nor  yet  the  ever 
too  light  conscience  of  the  world,  can  find 
place  in  this  new  order.”  No  man  rendeth 
a  piece  from  a  new  garment  and  putteth  it 
upon  an  old  garment;  else  he  will  rend  the 
new,  and  also  the  piece  from  the  new  will  not 
agree  with  the  old.  And  no  man  putteth  new 
wine  into  old  wine-skins ;  else  the  new  wine 
will  burst  the  skins,  and  itself  will  be  spilled, 
and  the  skins  will  perish.  But  new  wine  must 
be  put  into  fresh  wine-skins.”  The  new  cloth 
to  the  old  garment  will  make  the  rent  worse, 
the  new  piece  will  be  wasted,  and  so  new  wine 
in  old  wine-skins  will  burst  the  skins  and  the 
wine  will  spill.  The  things  that  I  teach  are  al¬ 
together  reasonable.  They  do  not  violate  the 
sense  of  order  at  all.  They  do  not  go  about 
to  destroy  the  things  of  the  past,  neither  do 
they  attempt  to  compromise  with  them.  In 
my  order  men  fast  not  out  of  a  sense  of 
wrought  up  piety,  for  it  was  no  matter  to  them 
whether  they  are  or  are  not  seen  of  men,  but 


68 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


they  fast  because  of  their  loyalty  to  me,  and 
the  truth  of  which  I  bear  witness,  for  it  must 
meet  up  with  opposition  from  every  side.  My 
disciples  must  deny  themselves  that  the  truth 
might  live,  and  must  strive  always  to  keep  in 
the  path  of  loving  service  even  as  they  see  me 
do.  I  have  come  to  do  the  will  of  my  Father, 
and  I  must  drink  from  whatever  cup  I  encoun¬ 
ter  in  my  course;  and  so  must  my  disciples  as 
they  follow  me  in  joy  and  pain,  in  feasting  and 
fasting,  in  triumphs  and  persecutions.” 

These  are  strange  words  for  the  disciples  of 
John  to  hear.  They  return  to  their  master  and 
he  thinks  upon  these  things  greatly  perplexed. 
He  goes  forward  despite  the  baffling  diffi¬ 
culties  that  cross  his  mind.  Doubts  begin  to 
shade  into  his  path.  Herod  has  outraged 
every  sense  of  right  in  taking  his  own  brother 
Philip’s  wife  to  himself  to  wife.  The  great 
preacher  of  righteousness  severely  rebukes  that 
ruler  for  this  sinful  act.  This  enrages  Herod- 
ias  for  whose  sake  Herod  lays  hold  on  John, 
and  bound  him,  and  put  him  in  prison.  There 
are  increasing  strange  reports  coming  to  John 
in  prison  about  the  conduct  of  the  Teacher 
upon  whom  he  had  set  his  hopes.  These 
things  cut  him  to  the  heart.  Indeed,  has  he 
been  mistaken  all  along?  Do  they  not  sound 


How  He  Came  Forth 


6  9 


strange  to  this  austere  preacher  as  being  sur¬ 
charged  with  the  things  of  the  world?  Can 
doubt  disturb  the  mind  of  that  bold  preacher 
even  though  incarcerated  in  a  dungeon  cell? 
Such  could  not  be  said  of  the  children  of  the 
new  order  after  the  bridegroom  had  been  taken 
away  from  them,  though  they  suffered  in  fast¬ 
ings,  persecutions,  and  prison  often.  (But 
John  is  of  the  old  order,  and  as  he  himself  de¬ 
clared  his  kind  must  decrease  while  the  other 
must  increase.)  At  any  rate  he  is  troubled 
for  he  sends  two  of  his  disciples  to  interview 
this  one  whom  he  had  pointed  out  by  the  Jor¬ 
dan  as  being  the  hope  of  the  world.  They 
have  a  direct  charge  from  the  Baptist  to  ask 
Jesus  the  question  that  is  directly  pressing  on 
his  mind,  namely,  “Art  thou  he  that  cometh, 
or  look  we  for  another?” 

When  these  men  from  John  arrive  they  can 
not  gain  audience  with  him  at  once,  but  must 
stand  by  and  look  on  for  awhile,  for  Jesus  is 
busy.  He  is  curing  many  of  divers  diseases, 
plagues,  and  evil  spirits;  opening  the  eyes  of 
the  blind,  loosening  the  tongues  of  the  dumb 
so  that  they  speak  plainly,  patiently  heeding 
the  petitions  of  the  poor  and  worsted — pour¬ 
ing  out  loving  words  of  mercy  and  kindness, 
filling  crushed  hearts  with  hope  and  consola- 


70 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


tion.  All  the  while  these  men  from  John  were 
looking  upon  these  things.  They  have  hardly 
the  heart  to  ask  this  Leader  and  Teacher  the 
question  for  which  they  are  sent.  But  upon 
reflection  they  recalled  how  they  had  seen  this 
very  man  eating  with  publicans  and  sinners, 
and  how  could  they  return  to  their  leader  shut 
up  in  prison  with  an  acknowledgment  that 
they  had  failed  to  obey  his  words.  With 
what  misgivings  they  begin  to  edge  their  way 
through  that  ever  growing  and  crushing 
crowd  to  ask  the  busy  Teacher  their  question 
which  was  wrapt  about  in  the  clouds  of  doubt? 
How  they  wish  they  had  never  been  commis¬ 
sioned  to  do  such  an  act.  But  now  it  is  done, 
for  one  of  them  has  put  the  question  to  the 
Master,  who,  though  busily  engaged,  has  fixed' 
his  eye  upon  these  two  men  who  were  making 
their  way  so  persistently  through  that  crowd 
and  jam.  Jesus  does  not  hesitate  at  such  a 
question  even  though  it  comes  directly  from 
John  but  answers,  saying,  “Go  and  tell  John 
the  things  which  ye  hear  and  see:  the  blind 
receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk,  the 
lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  and  the 
dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  good 
tidings  preached  to  them.  And  blessed  is  he, 
whosoever  shall  find  no  occasion  of  stumbling 


How  He  Came  Forth 


7i 


in  me.” 

The  Prayer 

The  moments  of  silence  in  the  life  of  Christ 
are  moments  in  which  reserve  forces  face  the 
world  in  irresistible  energy.  They  are  the 
golden  nuggets  for  him  who  seeks  their  worth. 
They  are  always  beneath  the  surface.  They 
disclose  their  power  to  the  humble  searcher 
wTho  counts  no  pain,  who  sees  no  obstruction; 
but  in  a  simple,  plain  spirit  seeks  the  treasures 
that  bring  him  life.  Be  careful,  lest  in  nois¬ 
ing  it  about  you  let  this  secret  slip.  Let  it  tell 
in  a  consistent  way  lest  you  drift  from  the 
source  and  lose  yourself  in  the  noise,  confu¬ 
sion,  and  perplexity  of  the  floodtide.  In 
silence  Christ  prays.  In  silence  you  must 
pray  and  not  proclaim  it  upon  the  housetop 
lest  you  lose  it  in  some  base  motive.  Influ¬ 
ence  must  go  forth  as  the  rays  of  the  sun  and 
not  as  the  howling  winter  blast.  In  the 
former  life  thrives  and  grows;  in  the  latter 
life  fades,  withers  and  dies.  In  the  silence 
of  Jesus  Christ  man  grows;  in  the  ostentation 
of  the  Pharisee  he  dies. 

Ere  the  silent  dawn  creeps  over  the  rugged 
hills;  ere  the  soft  light  touches  the  busy 
streams;  while  the  blackness  of  the  darkness 


72 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


hovers  over  the  peaceful  sleepers:  Jesus  steals 
from  the  midst  of  his  slumbering  disciples. 
He  hurries  over  the  dark  rock-ribbed  hills, 
crosses  the  sluggish  streams,  climbs  the  moun¬ 
tain  to  his  favored  nook.  There  he  prays. 
Not  an  echo  to  disturb  him  except  now  and 
then  the  yelp  of  a  hungry  jackal  or  the  scream 
of  the  lone  hyena  in  search  of  food. 

Jesus  too  is  in  search  of  meat.  Last  evening’s 
sun  went  down  upon  the  scene  of  a  busy  day. 
The  restless  multitudes  thronged  the  Master 
from  early  morn  to  late  at  eve.  Did  they 
weary  him?  Did  he  seek  this  mountain  fastness 
as  a  cover  to  rest  his  exhausted  frame?  Why 
not  enjoy  the  sweet  slumber  with  his  disciples? 
Why  plod  his  weary  steps  to  this  mountain 
spot  and  continue  the  whole  night  in  prayer? 
Sleep  indeed  rests  the  weary  body.  But  all 
day  there  has  been  a  clamor  rising  above  the 
tumult  of  voices.  It  is  like  the  lashing  of  the 
waves  in  the  midst  of  many  waters.  Seem¬ 
ingly  it  is  drowning  all  else  in  its  confusion. 
The  Master  knows  what  it  is.  It  is  the  crav¬ 
ing  appetite  for  the  miraculous — love  of  intox¬ 
ication  in  thoughts  in  that  which  is  past  under¬ 
standing.  A  clamor  for  the  shell  that  holds 
the  kernel,  and  not  a  longing  for  the  life  that 
germinates  within  the  grain.  He  was  not  to 


How  He  Came  Forth 


73 


strive  to  satisfy  this  perverted  appetite  of  man 
by  showing  some  sign  from  heaven,  though 
this  would  win  for  him  the  popular,  so  the 
clamor  said.  He  was  to  feed  the  inner  life 
and  let  the  miraculous  incidently  flow  out 
of  it.  His  meat  was  to  do  the  will  of  the 
Father,  not  to  stop  the  clamoring  of  the  multi¬ 
tude  with  some  paralyzing  sign  from  heaven. 
He  had  much  to  talk  with  the  Father  about. 
These  prayers  are  unrecorded.  He  told  no 
man  about  them.  But  from  his  life  the  world 
has  gleaned  their  import. 

The  disciples  caught  a  glimpse  that  early 
morning.  They  awake  and  find  the  Master 
absent.  The  people  with  their  sick  are  al¬ 
ready  beginning  to  ask  for  him.  The  dark¬ 
ness  has  not  yet  withdrawn  its  sable  shades. 
The  disciples  turn  their  faces  toward  the 
mountain,  seeking  him.  As  they  approach 
they  get  a  glimpse  of  a  form  kneeling  with 
face  turned  toward  heaven  as  the  receding 
darkness  unveils  and  the  mellow  dawn  falls 
over  and  about  that  figure,  gradually  bringing 
the  calm  heaven-endowed  countenance  to  the 
light  of  the  services  of  another  day  of  blessing. 
The  disciples  tell  him,  saying,  “All  men  are 
seeking  thee.”  He  is  not  seeking  out  some 
clever,  cunning  device  by  which  he  might  be- 


74 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


witch  the  multitudes.  He  did  the  works  of 
God  and  the  multitudes  sought  his  face.  They 
were  astonished  beyond  measure  at  his  teach¬ 
ing,  for  he  taught  them  not  as  the  scribes,  but 
as  one  having  authority.  The  multitudes 
knew  nothing  of  those  whole  nights  in  prayer. 
The  darkness  hid  him.  It  were  as  though 
he  prayed  not  at  all  so  far  as  the  spectacular 
effect  of  that  act  was  concerned.  Any  intru¬ 
sion  of  that  kind  would  have  robbed  the  hum¬ 
ble  man  of  Nazareth  of  the  sweetness  and 
power  he  so  greatly  enjoyed.  There  are 
things  too  sacred  for  the  eyes  of  the  multitudes 
and  prayer  is  one  of  them. 

The  disciples  got  but  a  glimpse  that  early 
morn.  But  they  did  not  yet  understand  why 
all  men  were  seeking  him.  Could  they  have 
gone  below  the  surface  and  have  seen  the  real 
significance  of  that  hour?  What?  Christ  in 
connection  with  the  secret  of  power.  This  is 
why  all  men  are  seeking  him  in  spite  of  them¬ 
selves.  He  is  at  the  source  of  power.  All 
things  are  in  his  hands.  Seeming  impossibili¬ 
ties  roll  away  like  a  mountain  of  clouds,  leav¬ 
ing  a  clear  sky  and  a  brilliant  sunlight.  They 
came  to  him  from  every  quarter.  How  could 
it  be  otherwise?  They  must  seek  him  for  his 
authority  though  they  clamor  for  a  sign.  Now 


How  He  Came  Forth 


75 


these  very  disciples  wanted  their  Master  to 
win  the  popular  favor  and  thought  it  strange 
that  he  should  not  take  advantage  of  oppor¬ 
tunities  for  winning  the  people  when  they 
came  to  him.  He  moves  before  them  misun¬ 
derstood.  Even  though  the  disciples  got  this 
glimpse  of  him  they  could  not  understand  the 
perplexing  situation.  Who  would  not  have 
fairly  leaped  at  such  opportunities  as  came  to 
him?  Yet  he  disregards  them  all,  and  leaves 
opportunity  after  opportunity  slip  from  him, 
even  he  is  actually  incurring  the  hatred  and 
the  malice  of  the  Pharisee.  This  is  of  all 
ways  the  strangest  to  walk  to  the  throne.  What 
king  has  ever  acquired  power  after  this  fash¬ 
ion?  Yet  the  people  throng  him.  Why? 

The  white  Christ  was  in  that  mountain  lone¬ 
liness,  getting  at  men’s  most  urgent  needs.  He 
was  talking  with  the  Father  about  them  that 
he  might  teach  men  to  be  kings  and  great  ones 
too.  He  was  to  walk  the  path  before  them 
and  they  were  to  follow.  Men  need  these 
silent  hours  with  God  as  well  as  the  busy 
hours  with  men.  This  is  the  whole  truth  that 
the  white  Christ  is  making  emphatic  among 
men.  Men  must  needs  tarry  long  with  God 
if  they  would  not  lose  the  proper  proportion 
of  things.  They  must  be  busied  with  men  lest 


76 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


they  lose  their  rewards,  as  opportunities  are 
fleeting.  He  sought  rest  and  peace  in  the 
Father’s  counsels.  Here  was  his  source  and 
man  was  his  opportunity.  He  could  not  af¬ 
ford  to  permit  either  to  displace  the  other. 
This  man  of  men  lived  in  the  breathing  pres¬ 
ence  of  the  Father,  and  he  saw  the  whole  world 
in  need  of  his  counsels  too.  This  praying, 
serving  man  proved  by  living  that  His  coun¬ 
sels  could  be  sought  by  turning  the  hearts  in 
prayer  and  by  setting  the  face  towards  the 
great  Helper.  That  this  was  needful  Christ 
made  plain,  taking  without  a  question  what  his 
great  apostle  said,  “He  is  not  far  from  each 
one  of  us:  for  in  him  we  live  and  move,  and 
have  our  being.”  This  man  of  men  could 
run  counter  to  all  the  ways  of  men  and  yet 
mark  out  the  way  of  true  success. 

He  must  see  his  disciples  looking  into  his 
face  with  a  look  of  disappointment.  Yet  he 
keeps  his  course.  It  takes  many  days  for  the 
disciples  to  get  even  a  hint  of  the  vision  of 
the  praying,  living  Christ.  When  the  com¬ 
mon  people  are  falling  away,  and  many  of  his 
disciples  are  turning  back  from  following  him, 
do  the  chosen  few  find  only  one  way  to  answer 
his  question — “Will  ye  also  go  away?”  This 
answer  is  given  by  their  spokesman,  Simon 


How  He  Came  Forth 


11 


Peter,  “Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  thou  hast 
the  words  of  eternal  life.”  This  is  the  esti¬ 
mate  that  these  men  are  placing  upon  their 
teacher  and  Master.  Here  is  a  flashlight  out 
of  the  hearts  of  his  disciples  that  reveal  what 
the  Christ  was  to  them  and  what  in  turn  his 
prayers  signify.  All  that  he  said,  and  all  that 
he  did,  and  all  that  went  out  in  his  silent  influ¬ 
ence,  were  grandly  summed  up  in  what  he  was. 
This  man’s  prayers  were  as  unselfish  as  his 
life.  Never  man  prayed  like  this  man;  never 
man  spake  like  this  man;  never  man  wrought 
as  this  man — it  was  all  in  a  life  of  service  for 
others. 


i 


II 


HOW  HE  GAVE  AUTHORITY  TO  THE 
NEW  TEACHING 


{ 


\ 


THE  NEW  TEACHING 


IN  the  midst  of  action  and  life  we  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  new  teaching  of  Jesus.  It 
all  harmoniously  blends  in  him.  His  action, 
his  teaching,  his  life — all  speak  one  great  lan¬ 
guage  of  power.  It  is  all  conceived,  born  and 
imparted  in  a  serene  atmosphere  of  power. 
Like  the  soft  light  of  dawn  it  silently  com¬ 
prehends  and  unveils  each  secluded  nook  in 
an  unaffected  way;  and  like  the  mighty  and 
fierce  tempest  it  sweeps  all  clean,  or  leaves  the 
burden  of  the  dead  against  the  rocky  ledge 
where  life  is  choked  and  quenched  and  in  the 
silence  of  the  steady  moving  years  this  dead 
must  mix  with  the  elements,  feed  the  life  it 
sought  to  quench.  Is  not  this  God’s  hand? 
That  which  threatens  real  defeat  only  dares 
to  halt;  yes,  to  place  a  splendid  pause  till  it 
can  get  below  the  fibrous  roots  that  freshen 
the  tender  blade  that  yellowed  beneath  its  bur¬ 
den.  Powers  that  make  for  death  are  trans¬ 
ferred  into  powers  that  make  for  life.  The 
mighty  slaves  of  sin  have  died  and  are  resur- 

81 


82 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


rected  as  powerful  and  efficient  forces  for 
righteousness.  They  die  in  the  oldness  of 
death  and  rise  in  the  newness  of  life.  These 
very  passions  that  once  did  surge  and  plunge 
the  soul  into  almost  hopeless  ruin  are  staid 
before  the  life  of  Christ — his  righteousness 
and  justice  sweep  them  against  the  dark  peaks 
of  malign  jealousy,  prejudice,  and  even  vicious 
lust.  They  heap  upon  each  other  till  tension 
gives,  then  they  sink — rather  face  about  as 
forces  in  the  hand  of  God  for  righteousness. 
They  are  transformed  by  the  working  of  the 
Divine  Power  into  the  regenerating  forces  of 
the  world.  By  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ  men 
become  as  good  as  they  were  bad.  Out  of  evil 
good  has  come  forth.  This  is  true  in  more 
ways  than  one.  The  leaven  of  Christ  destroys 
not  the  powerful  but  mellows  down,  modifies, 
changes  the  functions,  yes,  converts  them  into 
powers  for  good.  But  upon  those  that  are 
innocent  and  unstained  He  is  like  the  life- 
giving  sunlight,  dispelling  all  forms  of  death 
that  oppose.  Jesus  gave  authority  to  His  new 
teaching  by  ingraining  and  transforming  truth 
into  and  through  life.  In  his  being  truth  and 
life  are  one  and  the  same.  And  so  he  taught 
men  with  authority. 

The  mustard  seed  a  man  took  and  cast  in 


How  He  Gave  Authority  to  New  Teaching  83 

his  garden.  That  man  heard  no  sound.  Did 
he  see?  He  saw  the  tiny  blade  lift  its  puny 
tip  above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Some¬ 
how  this  tiny  birth  has  burst  its  prison  cell 
without  the  hint  of  a  groan  or  sigh.  It  found 
life  when  bars  closed  about  it.  Silently  it  did 
creep  and  rise — each  to  draw  a  larger  current 
of  life  from  things  that  seemed  to  chain  it 
down  till  it  found  its  prison  den  one  vast  store¬ 
house  to  feed  life’s  growing  and  increasing 
energies.  Then  too  it  lifts  its  head  into  an¬ 
other  world  with  more  food  as  it  higher  grows 
and  branches  spread  embracing  more  of  life’s 
current — the  atmosphere  and  the  prison  house 
are  blending  in  sustaining  the  product  of 
earth  and  sky.  There  is  abundance  to  meet 
the  needs  at  every  stage  of  enlarging  life.  Lo, 
now  the  birds  have  lodged  mid  the  branches 
of  this  goodly  herb.  “So  the  kingdom,”  says 
Christ,  “must  grow  against  great  odds.  The 
seeds  sown  may  seem  very  insignificant  in 
midst  of  such  opposition.  But  my  life  shall 
lay  hold  upon  those  opposing  forces  and  con¬ 
vert  them  into  mighty  energies  for  the  King¬ 
dom.  I  shall  ingrain  and  transform  truth  into 
and  through  life.  I  shall  bring  life  out  of 
death.  In  the  world,  ye  shall  have  great 
tribulation ;  but  be  of  good  cheer ;  I  have  over- 


84  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

come  the  world.” 

So  the  life  of  the  Kingdom  is  begotten  mid 
the  prison-cells  of  man’s  selfish  greed  but 
surely  it  must  burst  the  crust  beneath  which  it 
is  born  and  feed  upon  the  heart’s  affection 
struggling  there  and  climb  into  the  life  of 
God/  A  slow  climb  but  it  shall  spread  and 
embrace  all  the  earth.  Is  it  strange  that  fev¬ 
erish  souls  should  seek  a  lodging  place  mid  the 
branches  of  such  a  life?  Life’s  contagion  is 
set  up.  Life  of  man  begets  life  within  the  life 
of  God  and  what  power  can  stop  this  irresisti¬ 
ble  growth? 

Yes,  the  leaven  is  hid  in  three  measures  of 
meal.  It  grows  to  leaven  the  whole  lump.  It 
can  not  stop  with  the  branches  of  the  mustard- 
tree,  but  it  must  silently  grow  as  long  as  hu¬ 
man  hearts  are  yet  untouched  and  as  long  as 
there  is  any  part  of  the  heart  of  the  individual 
unleavened.  It  is  truth — life-giving  truth, 
and  must  leaven  where  it  goes.  But  remember 
one  thing — it  must  be  “hid”  in  the  meal  or 
the  leaven  will  not  take  hold  of  the  particles, 
lose  itself,  and  grow  in  and  through  them  till 
the  whole  lump  is  leavened.  Men  seem  im¬ 
patient  and  dissatisfied  with  this  hidden  way. 
Can  you  marvel  that  they  fail  who  seek  an¬ 
other  way?  There  is  no  other  way  than  the 


How  He  Gave  Authority  to  New  Teaching  85 

life-source  of  truth,  and  that  life-source  is 
God.  The  Life  of  God  must  be  hidden  in  the 
life  of  the  heart  of  man  and  of  men  if  the 
teaching  is  to  be  NEW  breathing  authority 
everywhere.  So  did  the  Nazarene  give  au¬ 
thority  to  all  that  he  said.  This  caused  those 
who  beheld  his  wonderful  conduct  to  be 
amazed,  insomuch  that  they  questioned  among 
themselves,  saying,  “What  is  this?  a  new 
teaching!  with  authority  he  commandeth  even 
the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  obey  him.” 

Legion 

How  the  wild  lunatic  raves!  No  man  can 
bind  him.  In  his  mad  fury  he  snaps  the 
chains  asunder  and  breaks  the  fetters  in 
pieces.  Naked  he  raves  in  the  tombs  and 
roves  the  mountains.  And  always  day  and 
night  these  solitary,  desolate  places  resound 
with  unearthly,  weird,  demoniacal  screams  as 
he  is  cutting  himself  with  stones.  No  man 
had  strength  to  tame  him.  When  Jesus 
comes  out  of  the  boat  he  is  met  by  this  fierce 
man  out  of  the  tombs.  The  wild  stare  is  in  his 
eyes  as  he  bursts  forth  from  the  midst  of  the 
tombs.  But  seeing  Jesus  from  afar,  he  runs 
and  worships  him,  crying  out  with  a  loud 


86 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


voice,  saying,  “What  have  I  to  do  with  thee, 
Jesus,  thou  Son  of  the  Most  High  God?  I 
adjure  thee  by  God,  torment  me  not.”  What 
strange  thing  is  this?  This  one  whom  no  man 
could  tame  running  to  Jesus  and  worshipping 
him?  Ah,  the  Master  has  said,  “Come  forth, 
thou  unclean  spirit,  out  of  the  man.”  The 
real  fact  was  there — sin,  its  dread,  its  tor¬ 
ment.  To  obey  the  demons  know  they  must. 
They  clamor  as  though  with  noise  they  would 
evade  the  issue.  The  Master  asks  him,  “What 
is  your  name?”  And  he  saith  unto  him,  “My 
name  is  Legion;  for  we  are  many.” 

Even  devils  are  reduced  to  extremity  by  the 
authority  of  the  words  of  his  mouth.  They 
know  they  must  go  out  of  the  man.  They  beg 
that  their  power  be  not  destroyed  altogether. 
So  they  make  the  poor  fellow  plead  in  behalf 
of  these  familiar  spirits  with  whom  he  had 
dwelt  for  such  a  length  of  time  that  the 
Teacher  would  not  send  them  away  out  of  the 
country.  But  the  devils  must  go  and  there  is 
a  great  herd  of  swine  feeding  on  the  mountain. 
And  there  were  they  who  kept  the  herd.  So 
the  devils  would  seize  the  opportunity.  So 
they  besought  him,  saying,  “Send  us  into  the 
swine  that  we  may  enter  into  them.”  He  gave 
them  leave.  “And  the  unclean  spirits  came 


How  He  Gave  Authority  to  New  Teaching  87 

out,  and  entered  into  the  swine:  and  the 
herd  rushed  down  the  steep  into  the  sea, 
in  number,  about  two  thousand;  and  they 
were  drowned  in  the  sea.” 

They  that  fed  the  swine  fled  and  told  it  in 
the  city  and  the  country.  The  madness  and 
frenzy  of  this  wild,  raging  maniac  was  the 
talk  throughout  the  Decapolis  and  the  regions 
round  about.  As  the  citizens  came  forth  in 
multitudes  they  that  kept  the  herd  and  saw 
it  declared  unto  them  how  it  befell  the  man 
that  was  possessed  with  demons,  and  concern¬ 
ing  the  swine.  They  are  amazed  beyond 
measure  as  they  look  upon  him  who  aforetime 
raged  in  unabating  madness  clothed,  and  in 
his  right  mind  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 
They  were  afraid,  and  began  to  beseech  him 
to  depart  out  of  their  borders. 

But  what  of  him  who  had  been  possessed 
with  demons?  The  Master  is  complying  with 
their  requests.  He  is  entering  into  the  boat. 
But  there  is  he  that  had  been  possessed  with 
demons  beseeching  him  that  he  might  be  with 
him.  What  a  laudable  desire?  Surely  the 
Nazarene  is  craving  companionship  of  those 
who  love  him.  But  listen!  This  is  strange 
from  the  lips  of  Jesus.  “Go  to  thy  house — ” 
But  then  we  will  hear  him  through.  “Go  to 


88 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


thy  house  unto  thy  friends,  and  tell  them  how 
great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,  and 
how  he  had  mercy  on  thee.”  What  could 
give  authority  to  the  words  of  the  mouth  of 
this  man  but  that  change  that  had  come  into 
his  life?  He  went  his  way,  and  began  to  pub¬ 
lish  in  Decapolis  how  great  things  Jesus  had 
done  for  him,  and  all  men  marveled.  Truth 
and  life  here  had  no  break  but  were  one  and 
the  same  and  the  new  teaching  had  authority 
so  that  all  men  marveled. 

Compassion  on  the  Multitude 

Jesus  goes  apart  with  his  disciples.  He 
seeks  a  solitary  place.  He  seeks  rest 
and  quiet.  Can  even  a  desert  place  insure 
him  the  needed  rest?  See  the  people 
running  from  every  quarter.  Yes,  they  saw 
the  Master  and  his  disciples  take  boat  to  cross 
the  lake,  “and  they  ran  together  there  on  foot 
from  all  the  cities,  and  outwent  them.”  Be¬ 
hold  a  multitude  in  a  desert  place,  but  the 
great  Christ  is  there,  and  where  he  is  wells 
of  refreshment  break  forth  and  streams 
abound,  and  the  thirsty  lands  bring  forth  their 
increase  a  hundredfold.  The  multitudes  are 
fed. 


How  He  Gave  Authority  to  New  Teaching  89 


The  multitudes  to  Christ  have  fled — 
The  weary ,  thirsty,  hungry,  tried; 

The  multitudes  by  Christ  are  fed, 

No  lone  deserted  soul  has  died. 

“And  he  came  forth  and  saw  a  great  multi¬ 
tude,  and  he  had  compassion  on  them,  because 
they  were  as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd :  and 
he  began  to  teach  them  many  things.”  Men 
running  to  and  fro — they  knew  not  why.  They 
sought  but  dread  confusion  fell  about  them. 
They  were  lost  not  only  to  each  other — but 
each  was  lost  to  himself.  Christ  with  mind 
clear  and  masterful  saw  the  conflicting,  surg¬ 
ing  passions,  the  emptiness  of  life  and  the 
craving  of  souls  in  the  heart  of  the  multitudes, 
and  “he  had  compassion  on  them.”  Having 
thrown  open  the  doors  of  sympathy  he  entered 
the  lives  and  saw  their  lack — their  crying 
needs,  “and  taught  them  many  things.”  As 
he  taught  them  he  fed  them  upon  the  bread 
of  his  life  and  their  soul  hunger  was  satisfied. 
Should  it  be  counted  strange  that  he  should 
say,  “The  words  that  I  have  spoken  unto  you 
are  spirit,  and  are  life?”  Should  we  not  ex¬ 
pect  to  hear  something  like  this  from  a  fol¬ 
lower  of  his,  “Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal 
life?” 


9° 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


He  saw  the  languid  and  famishing — souls 
that  were  hungry  out  of  burning  needs,  even 
those  on  the  brink  of  despair  out  of  ravishing 
sighing — sighing  for  relief  and  help  which 
none  could  bring,  not  even  within  the  power 
of  most  intimate  friends  and  companions  to 
succor.  Even  in  desert  places  they  sought 
him  for  needed  relief.  Those  writhing  in 
pain  and  disappointment  lay  hold  upon  his 
great  heart.  Those  baffled,  worsted,  de¬ 
feated  catch  his  penetrating  eye.  Those  sore 
distressed  in  sickness  and  bereavement  draw 
near  to  the  great  physician  whose  sympathy 
leaps  forth  to  rescue  them  from  despair  in  that 
last  hard  struggle  of  the  cleaving  hope  and 
the  despondent  heart.  The  hopeless  and  the 
hardened  touched  by  the  soft  breezes  of  quick¬ 
ening  grace  breathe  again.  For  them  the 
great  compassion  of  Christ  is  an  open  foun¬ 
tain.  At  last  all  can  find  a  place  in  one  great 
heart.  Sympathy  flows  forth  as  the  placid 
streams  with  healing  in  the  waters  thereof. 
These  healing  streams  of  sympathy  are  life 
unto  the  multitude. 

The  heart  depressed  beneath  the  burden  of 
sin’s  oppressive  weight  finds  Christ  to  lift  the 
burden.  Lo,  lift  up  your  eyes  and  look  upon 
the  desert  place,  for  Christ  is  there.  Then 


How  He  Gave  Authority  to  New  Teaching  91 

you  can  see  the  meaning  of  the  multitudes  that 
flock  those  desert  sands.  Jesus  looks  upon  the 
multitudes — sees  the  vieing  of  flaming  pas¬ 
sions,  lashing  and  being  lashed.  But  what  of 
the  hearts  in  which  these  raging  passions  are 
madly  surging?  Will  not  the  frail  bark  be 
wrecked  in  the  storms  that  rise  out  of  the 
whirlpool  of  the  deep?  Whence  are  these 
raging  forces?  Are  they  not  from  out  the 
mighty  deep  of  life  that  buoys  up  the  frail 
bark  they  are  rending  asunder?  The  eye  of 
Christ  sees,  the  mind  of  Christ  knows,  and  the 
heart  of  Christ  pleads.  He  sees  passions  mak¬ 
ing  havoc  of  men,  and  tells  them  he  is  there  to 
help  them  out  of  their  dismay.  It  is  as  though 
his  life  silently  but  emphatically  speaks,  say¬ 
ing,  “I  see  your  dismay  and  anxiety.  You  are 
like  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  You  run 
through  and  through  each  other.  You  know 
not  where  or  why.  I  am  here  not  only  that 
the  shadow  of  apprehension,  dismay  and  fear 
may  withdraw  from  you,  but  to  remove  the 
cause — to  show  you  the  way  and  help  you  out 
of  sin.  T  am  the  good  shepherd:  the  good 
shepherd  layeth  down  his  life  for  the  sheep. 
I  am  come  that  ye  may  have  life,  and  may 
have  it  abundantly.  As  the  Father  has  life 
in  himself,  so  has  he  given  the  Son  to  have 


92 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


life  in  himself.’  As  the  Father  serves  so 
doth  the  Son  serve,  as  the  Father  helps  so  doth 
the  Son  deliver,  as  the  Father  saves  so  doth 
the  Son  redeem.  ‘For  the  Father  loveth  the 
Son,  and  showeth  him  all  things  that  he  him¬ 
self  doeth.’  ” 

Then  do  we  ask  why  this  multitude  about 
him  in  a  desert  place?  Christ  walks  the 
earth  with  men  and  knows  what  they  must 
have.  He  meets  their  needs  and  helps  them 
out  of  sin.  He  breaks  the  bread  of  life  and 
feeds  the  multitudes.  Can  any  question  the 
authority  of  the  new  teaching  of  this  Teacher 
of  Nazareth? 


Ill 


HOW  HE  FOUND  FAITH  IN  THE 

EARTH 


/ 


. ! 


V 


WHY  MIRACLE? 


He  who  can  clothe  the  leafless  plant 
In  leafy  foliage  green , 

Can  clothe  my  soul,  don't  say — He  can't, 
Though  all  is  yet  unseen . 

His  smile  I  see,  his  hand  I  grasp, 

And  walk  with  Christ  to  see — 

Where  God's  hand  works  the  first,  the  last, 
And  fills  eternity. 

IT  seems  to  be  popular  and  fashionable,  as 
well  as  scholarly,  to  slur  over  and  omit  al¬ 
together  what  is  called  the  miraculous. 
Nevertheless  it  is  like  our  blood  coursing 
through  all  the  arteries  and  veins  of  our  lives. 
Science  tells  us  the  blood  carries  the  digested 
food-particles  to  replace  the  worn-out  tissues. 
There  the  food  particle  is  tissue.  How?  It 
wears  out,  and  is  thrown  off;  yes,  and  is  re¬ 
placed  with  digested  food  from  blood 
corpuscle  again.  Are  they  the  same  that 
placed  the  tissue  here  before?  It  works. 

95 


96 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


That’s  true.  We  know  that.  But  the  cause? 
The  how?  If  we  being  earthly  cannot  dis¬ 
cern  these  things  that  are  earthly,  how  are 
we  going  to  explain  those  things  that  are 
heavenly?  The  earthly  and  the  heavenly  are 
not  the  same;  neither  is  the  flesh  and  the 
spirit  the  same.  The  analogy  that  holds  good 
in  one  does  not  necessarily  hold  good  in  the 
other.  We  know  something  about  material 
things,  and  we  know  something  about  spirit¬ 
ual  things.  We  can  hardly  say  we  are  better 
acquainted  with  things  spiritual  than  with 
things  material.  To  be  frank  we  must  con¬ 
fess  greater  ignorance  in  regard  to  things 
spiritual  out  of  the  very  nature  of  the  case. 
If  we  could  stand  where  God  stands  and  be 
clothed  in  his  powers  we  could  understand 
both  equally  well.  But  then  where  would 
mortal  man  come  in?  We  at  once  hold  the 
key  to  create.  All  would  be  creators.  If 
there  would  be  any  flesh  and  blood  to  analyze 
you  could  tell  exactly  the  how.  Then  all 
miracle  would  be  natural  as  we  understand 
and  use  the  word  now.  It  would  all  be 
within  our  comprehension. 

But  now  since  we  do  not  know  much  about 
possibilities  it  may  be  well  and  wise  always  to 
leave  a  large  place  open  for  the  unknown  pos- 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  97 

sibilities  which  would  be  perfectly  natural  if 
we  were  behind  the  scene  where  we  could 
analyze. 

Now  Christ  moved  in  this  unknown  and  un¬ 
explored  world  of  possibilities.  And  he  made 
no  great  bluster  about  it  either.  What  he  did 
do  is  this — he  sought  to  help  men  to  find  them¬ 
selves.  He  found  men  not  living  anywhere  up 
to  their  privileges  spiritually  and  morally,  and 
as  a  consequence  of  this  failure  and  neglect 
they  were  forfeiting  a  large  part  of  the  possi¬ 
bilities  the  Creator  had  designed  for  them. 
The  Master  well  said  of  the  fig  tree  that  with¬ 
ered  at  his  command:  “Have  faith  in  God. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  whosoever  shall  say 
unto  this  mountain,  Be  thou  taken  up  and 
cast  into  the  sea;  and  shall  not  doubt  in  his 
heart,  but  shall  believe  that  what  he  saith 
cometh  to  pass;  he  shall  have  it.”  This  he 
said  because  he  was  living  where  he  could 
verify  it. 

Of  course  the  first  and  last  product  of  faith 
is  moral  and  spiritual  excellence.  Apart  from 
this  nothing  can  be  brought  to  pass.  So  Jesus 
himself  is  the  miracle  with  which  we  have 
constantly  to  do.  What  he  was  makes  his 
miracles  natural.  “Apart  from  me  ye  can 
do  nothing.”  A  supreme  faith  always  accom- 


98 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


panies  what  he  says  and  does.  Where  else 
has  faith  shown  such  a  wonderful  miracle 
among  mortals?  “He  hath  done  all  things 
well.”  “Never  man  spake  like  this  man.” 
“What  manner  of  man  is  this?”  Never  man 
was  like  this  man;  “insomuch  that  Pilate  mar¬ 
velled.” 

The  Paralytic 

Let  the  deep  darkness  of  the  night  guard 
the  praying  Christ,  and  let  the  rosy  blushes 
of  the  dawn  conceal  themselves  back  of  the 
black  curtain  before  the  threshold  of  the  break 
of  day  while  the  Master  sifts  the  pressing 
human  cry.  Let  no  irreverent  tongue  break  in 
upon  those  solemn  thoughts.  The  Son  of  God 
is  counseling  with  the  Father.  What  beastly 
forms  are  endeavoring  to  spring  upon  him — 
they  call  themselves  human  needs.  But  Christ 
sees  the  creeping  tiger  and  the  crouching  lion 
— knows  the  tiger  ere  he  leaps  upon  and  the 
lion  ere  he  crushes  the  frame  and  bids  them 
desist  their  madness  and  know  him  as  the  rul¬ 
ing  Lord.  Greed  must  not  assume  the  form 
of  need  and  ask  the  Lord  to  lend  it  his  sup¬ 
port;  it  must  divest  itself  of  its  fair  form  and 
stand  out  as  loathsome  greed.  Neither  can 
the  flighty  thoughts  of  men  entangled  in  the 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  99 

meshes  of  the  cravings  for  the  marvelous  en¬ 
slave  the  mind  of  this  quiet  man.  He  is  mas¬ 
ter  and  holds  dominion  free;  proves  himself 
Lord  at  every  turn. 

As  the  breaking  light  climbs  the  steps  of 
the  eastern  sky  the  Christ  is  ready  for  every 
crying  need — ready  to  unclothe  it  of  its  dis¬ 
torted  form  and  show  how  God  will  meet 
the  humblest  need  if  truly  need  it  be. 

Day  after  day  Capernaum  has  witnessed 
stirring  scenes.  The  busy  Teacher  is  making 
his  home  there.  He  has  now  gone  through 
that  press  and  throng  into  the  house.  A  stream 
of  human  forms  move  along  the  street — each 
impatient  at  the  one  who  moves  before.  They 
clamor  to  get  to  his  side.  The  bolder  and 
stronger  are  fighting  the  timid  and  weaker 
aside.  Now  they  crush  in  at  the  door.  They 
discern  not  the  image  of  the  beast  with  which 
the  conquering  Christ  has  fought  and  thrust 
aside  the  night  just  passed.  Their  thirst 
is  insatiable  to  see  some  strange  thing — some 
wonder- awing  thing  to  blur  their  senses.  Who 
can  have  the  privilege  of  packing  the  door¬ 
way?  They  must  let  no  opportunity  slip  in 
their  curiosity  seeking.  Ah,  that  sea  of  up¬ 
turned  faces  that  cannot  get  near — each  cran¬ 
ing  the  neck  as  though  they  hoped  to  see  him 


IOO 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


in  spite  of  the  walls  of  the  house.  How  few 
will  see  though  the  rush  is  mad!  How  few 
of  the  few  will  see  the  glory  there! 

On  the  edge  of  that  surging  crowd  four  men 
are  carrying  a  pallet  upon  which  a  helpless 
man  is  lying.  Will  the  crowd  be  generous 
enough  to  divide  so  as  to  permit  these  men 
with  their  sick  to  pass  to  the  door?  Is  there 
not  one  generous  enough  to  push  aside,  saying, 
Give  these  men  room  to  pass  with  their  sick? 
It  seems  that  one  has  dared  to  do  this  thing, 
but  how  that  big  fellow  bolts  into  the  vacant 
place!  Men  are  too  eager  to  see  to  yield  a 
place  to  the  suffering  need  that  is  pressing. 
These  men  can’t  get  even  near  the  door.  So 
they  divert  their  course  rather  than  jam  into 
that  crushing,  trampling  humanity.  They  go 
to  the  stairway  at  the  side  of  the  house  and 
carry  their  sick  to  the  roof.  Tearing  up  the 
roof,  they  let  down  the  bed  whereon  the  sick 
of  the  palsy  lay.  And  Jesus,  seeing  their  faith, 
saith  unto  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  “Son,  thy  sins 
are  forgiven.”  This  is  not  what  those  faith¬ 
ful  men  expected  either.  But  they  are  silent 
in  their  disappointment.  But  what  of  the 
crowd?  “Son,  they  sins  are  forgiven  thee” — 
the  murmur  falls  like  some  thick  sound  upon 
hidden  waters.  The  scribes  are  outdone  and 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  ioi 


overcome  in  their  consternation.  They  breathe 
great  heavy  sighs  from  their  heaving  chests. 
Jesus  knew  their  thoughts.  He  knew  what 
they  were  looking  for.  They  had  gone  far 
afield.  He  casts  his  piercing  eye  upon  them 
and  says,  “Why  reason  these  things  in  your 
hearts?  Which  is  easier  to  say  to  the  sick  of 
the  palsy,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven;  or  to  say, 
Arise,  and  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk?  But 
that  ye  may  know  that  the  Son  of  man  hath 
authority  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  (he  saith 
to  the  sick  of  the  palsy)  I  say  unto  thee, 
Arise,  take  up  they  bed,  and  go  unto  thy 
house.” 

Is  there  a  shuffling  of  feet  as  those  deep¬ 
breathing  Pharisees  have  crowded  too  near 
the  Master  in  the  press,  and  that  man  who 
had  been  chained  about  with  the  palsy  arose 
and  stood  upon  his  feet  and  took  up  his  bed 
to  go  to  his  home?  There  is  no  need  to  ask 
the  thronging  crowd  to  make  a  way  for  this 
healed  man  to  pass.  They  do  that  instinc¬ 
tively.  Or,  are  they  dazed  by  what  they  have 
seen?  Or,  is  their  lust  satisfied?  Nothing 
can  be  heard  for  the  time  being  on  every 
side  save  expressions  like  these:  “We  never 
saw  it  on  this  fashion”;  and  “We  have  seen 
strange  things  to-day.” 


102 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


There  Jesus  stood — a  calm  master  of  him¬ 
self.  He  knew  what  was  in  man,  and  how  dif¬ 
ficult  it  was  to  displace  gross  misconception 
with  truth.  He  scans  the  centuries  while  they 
in  their  bewildering  amazement  are  saying, 
“We  never  saw  it  on  this  fashion,”  and  he  sees 
the  marvel  they  are  astonishel  at  vanishing  in 
face  of  the  truth  he  has  just  set  before  them. 
They  never  saw  it  on  that  fashion;  they  did 
see  strange  things.  But  they  spoke  far  better 
than  they  knew.  They  of  course  referred  to 
the  healing  of  the  body.  Had  they  any  grasp 
of  the  masterly  work  performed?  Jesus  heals 
the  suffering  of  the  body  and  it  is  good;  he 
breathes  his  loving  spirit  into  the  heart  of  man 
that  pain  may  be  eased  and  suffering  relieved, 
and  we  call  it  blessed;  but  first  and  all  impor¬ 
tant  he  “forgives  sin”  and  cures  the  heart — 
makes  the  immoral  leper  clean. 

Here  is  the  summum  struggle  of  the  race — 
to  cut  free  from  the  biting,  smarting  sense  of 
sin.  The  Master  clearly  showed  the  way  by 
living.  But  as  he  looks  over  the  writhing, 
worsted  humanity,  hear  him  say,  “Not  all 
men  can  receive  this  saying.”  They  must  be 
helped.  So  he  cuts  the  shackles  loose  and 
leads  them  on  the  way.  Here  he  differs  from 
all  other  teachers  in  that  he  could  live  stain- 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  103 

less  in  each  man’s  case.  He  discovered  the 
need  of  that  crowd  at  Capernaum  as  well  as 
that  of  the  palsied  man.  He  discovered  and 
came  to  help. 

This  Teacher  claims  the  power  to  cure  men 
from  sin  as  Son  of  man.  When  he  frees  the 
man  from  his  physical  infirmities,  the  multi¬ 
tudes  saw  it,  and  were  afraid,  and  glorified 
God,  who  had  given  such  authority  unto  men, 
but  J esusproclaimed  that  the  highest  privilege 
of  his  authority  was  to  set  at  liberty  them  that 
are  bound  with  sin.  His  great  work  was  to 
make  men  righteous.  This  was  the  full  test  of 
his  power — to  put  the  individual  in  right  re¬ 
lation  with  God  and  his  fellow. 

The  Lep  er 

It  was  so  with  the  temple:  “there  was 
neither  hammer  nor  axe  nor  any  tool  of  iron 
heard  in  the  house,  while  it  was  in  building.” 
Majestic  silence  has  ever  enriched  the  con¬ 
templative  within  the  sacred  courts  of  the 
Lord.  No  mortal  lifts  the  veil  and  looks 
upon  the  Holy  of  Holies  save  he  who  with  cov¬ 
ered  head  waits  in  the  awful  stillness  of  un¬ 
broken  silence  and  knows  the  Lord  that  he  is 
Jehovah.  No  robber  unveils  this.  No 


104  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

amount  of  daring  lets  a  man  behind  the  veil. 
Silently  but  surely  the  power  behind  the  veil 
draws  the  humble  worshippers  from  all  parts 
of  the  land  to  the  court  of  the  temple  with 
their  sacrifices  and  their  prayers. 

Has  the  silence  of  the  night  lifted  the  shad¬ 
ows?  Has  any  ear  heard  shrieks  or  groans? 
The  pure,  majestic,  achieving  soul  of  Christ 
is  breaking  the  clutching  shackles  of  human 
weakness,  and  is  rising  above  the  crushing  tide 
of  tendencies  that  submerge  the  human  race 
without  exception  in  sin. 

Are  the  clamoring  voices  of  men  striving 
to  force  an  entrance  into  this  silent  Holy  of 
Holies  of  Christ?  Truly  they  are  drawn  to 
him  because  they  are  mystified  by  that  some¬ 
thing  that  certain  have  found.  They  think 
to  thrust  themselves  upon  him  and  win  this 
something  for  themselves.  But  behold  they 
are  unable  to  break  in.  Their  defeat  fills 
them  with  indignation.  This  erects  stouter 
bars. 

But  look,  that  crowd  is  breaking.  What  is 
this  strange  thing?  A  leper  who  is  forbidden 
by  law  to  draw  near,  but  must  stand  afar  off 
and  lift  up  his  hands  and  cry,  “Unclean!  un¬ 
clean!”  is  kneeling  before  the  Master,  praying, 
“If  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean.” 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  105 

The  face  of  Jesus  is  all  compassion  and  he 
touches  him.  What?  Touch  a  leper?  Set 
aside  the  ceremonial  law?  Who  is  this  man 
who  dares  break  with  such  a  stringent  past? 
Listen,  he  speaks,  “I  will;  be  thou  made 
clean.”  Straightway  the  leprosy  departs  from 
him,  and  his  skin  is  renewed  as  though  it  were 
the  flesh  of  a  young  child.  He  is  clean.  Does 
this  Teacher  set  aside  the  ceremonial  past  so 
as  to  show  men  how  radical  he  could  act? 
Hear:  “Go  show  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  of¬ 
fer  for  thy  cleansing  the  things  that  Moses 
commanded,  for  a  testimony  unto  them.” 

This  leper  was  drawn  by  the  power  that 
baffled  those  that  stood  by.  The  leper  had 
need  of  this  power  and  felt  it.  He  knew  that 
it  could  heal  him  and  would  do  so,  if  ap¬ 
proached  by  one  who  knew  his  own  crying 
need.  But  it  was  simply  to  the  confusion  of 
the  multitude — this  very  power  which  was 
the  healing  of  the  leper.  He,  the  unclean 
outcast,  knelt  and  touched  the  Holy  of  Holies 
in  healing  power.  Upon  the  great  pillars  of 
faith  the  enlarging  chambers  of  his  soul  rested, 
purged  of  all  its  loathing  sin.  Listen!  the  phy¬ 
sician  and  Teacher  is  giving  a  charge  to  the 
healed  man:  “See  thou  say  nothing  to  any 


man. 


106  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

But  he  who  had  beeh  a  leper  was  not  the 
Master.  He  had  not  yet  caught  the  true  secret. 
He  went  forth  and  began  to  publish  it  much, 
and  to  spread  abroad  the  matter,  insomuch  that 
Jesus  could  no  more  openly  enter  a  city,  but 
was  without  in  desert  places.  He  noised  it 
about  rather  than  let  it  work  out  in  masterful 
silent  power.  Could  not  men  see  for  them¬ 
selves  the  marvelous  cure  that  had  been 
wrought  upon  him?  But  this  over-anxious 
desire  to  publish  it  must  thrust  it  upon  them. 
In  turn  these  restless  multitudes  persist  in 
clamoring  their  way  to  the  secret  of  power. 
But  no  such  way  leads  there.  It  only  puts 
them  to  greater  confusion  and  perlexity. 
uWhat  manner  of  man  is  this?”  They  were 
bent  on  finding  out  by  use  of  violent  methods. 
They  could  not  get  it  through  them  that  the 
leper’s  way — kneeling  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  in 
prayer,  was  the  way  and  the  only  way  to  the 
secret  of  that  sacred  power. 

They  came  to  him  from  every  quarter. 
They  sought  him  in  many  desert  places.  Their 
stormy  efforts  were  as  barren  as  the  deserts 
themselves.  Has  not  the  great  sun  made  its 
round  in  silent  triumph,  and  yet  how  much 
life  is  wasted  mid  the  clamoring  tempest? 
And  is  not  the  earth  wherein  the  life-giving 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  107 

sunbeams  rest  too  often  the  burnglass  that 
scorches  that  self-same  life  with  death?  So 
there  are  many  barren  and  desert  spots  even 
where  Jesus  passes  in  his  lowliness  and  holi¬ 
ness,  and  many  waste  places  remain  where  he 
is  present. 

The  Woman  s  Touch 

It  is  given  to  the  most  wretched,  the  most 
destitute,  the  most  hopeless,  and  the  most 
helpless  to  find  this  silent  way  to  the  secret  of 
power.  Not  even  did  the  disciples  under¬ 
stand  it.  They  cannot  see  how  any  touch  can 
differ  from  any  other  touch  in  the  press  and 
throng. 

But  see  how  they  press  and  throng  him.  It 
is  literally  a  jam.  To  make  way  is  next  to  im¬ 
possible.  Can  any  hope  to  edge  through  that 
crowd?  There  is  a  lone  woman  who  scarcely 
has  sufficient  strength  to  drag  herself  along 
and  physicians  have  pronounced  her  hopeless, 
yet  she  is  edging  her  way  through  that  jam 
and  press.  This  woman  has  had  an  issue  of 
blood  twelve  years,  and  has  suffered  many 
things  of  many  physicians,  and  is  nothing  bet¬ 
tered,  but  rather  has  grown  worse.  See!  she 
is  patiently  making  her  way  through  that 
wedging  press.  These  cannot  bar  her  from 


io8 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


her  great  physician.  She  does  not  clamor  for 
them  to  stand  back.  She  does  not  lament  and 
tell  her  mournful  tale  of  woes  that  a  path 
might  be  made  for  her  through  that  press  and 
throng.  But  poor,  weak  woman !  she  patiently 
and  silently  struggles  for  every  little  opening 
given  her  in  that  pressing  jam  till  she  finds 
herself  directly  behind  her  Physician.  There 
has  been  no  shout — “stand  back,”  and  now 
there  is  no  cry  for  mercy.  She  sees  the  Master 
busy  teaching.  But  she  knows  that  to  touch 
even  his  garment  will  suffice.  She  touches  the 
very  border.  Poor  soul !  she  is  satisfied  with  the 
lightest  fringe.  She  knows  she  has  found  the 
proper  way  of  approach.  Heaven  will  meet 
the  condition  though  she  but  touch  the  border 
of  his  garment.  Ah,  she  touches.  Straight¬ 
way  the  fountain  of  her  blood  is  dried  up,  and 
she  feels  in  her  body  that  she  is  healed  of  her 
plague. 

The  Master  turns.  Why,  because  none  but 
that  healed  woman  knew  the  difference  be¬ 
tween  a  touch  of  faith  and  that  of  the  acci¬ 
dental  press  and  jam.  “Who  touched  my  gar¬ 
ments?”  The  disciples  are  indignant  at  such 
a  needless  question  when  they  press  him  on 
every  side.  Peter  becomes  their  spokesman, 
saying,  “Master,  the  multitudes  press  thee  and 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  109 

crush  thee,  and  sayest  thou,  Who  touched 
me?’  ”  But  the  Master  looked  round  about  to 
see  her  that  had  done  this  thing,  saying,  “Some 
one  did  touch  me;  for  I  perceived  that  power 
had  gone  forth  from  me.”  - 

Then  the  trembling  creature  came  forth. 
She  dared  to  tell  it  all.  There  will  be  no  sor¬ 
did  motive  of  making  it  a  show.  Falling  at 
his  feet  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people,  she 
told  for  what  cause  she  had  touched  him  and 
how  she  was  healed  immediately.  It  was  only 
to  convince  and  prove  the  genuineness  of  a 
working  faith.  She  even  explained  her  mo¬ 
tive  the  best  she  could.  Ere  she  touched  the 
border  of  his  garment  she  said  within  herself 
on  this  wise:  “If  I  but  touch  his  garments,  I 
shall  be  made  whole.” 

After  she  had  made  an  end  of  telling  him 
the  whole  truth,  Jesus  said  unto  her,  “Daugh¬ 
ter,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole;  go  in 
peace,  and  be  whole  of  thy  plague.” 

The  Centurion  s  Faith 

Faith  must  give  another  glow — a  radiant 
hue.  It  was  to  be  cast  in  the  soul  of  centurion 
this  time.  Faith  is  like  the  rare  gem  that 
lends  itself  to  the  delicate  touches  of  the  light. 


no 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


Lo,  it  shines  best  where  the  light  must  strug¬ 
gle  to  disclose  its  hidden  beauty.  The  cen¬ 
turies  were  preparing  the  heart  of  the  Jew  a 
receptacle  for  the  supreme  faith  of  Christ 
to  find  response.  But  what  were  the  cen¬ 
turies  doing  for  the  dog  of  Gentile  in  this 
matter?  Jesus  here  brings  forth  a  living  pic¬ 
ture  of  what  was  being  done  by  the  great  good 
God  to  give  his  supreme  revelation  to  even 
these  despised  ones. 

As  he  comes  down  out  of  that  mountain  of 
prayer  the  lepers — the  outcasts  of  society,  fling 
themselves  at  the  feet  of  him  who  dares  to 
enter  even  their  retreats.  The  lepers  are 
cleansed,  the  eyes  of  the  blind  are  open,  the 
ears  of  the  deaf  are  unstopped,  the  sick  are 
made  whole  of  divers  plagues,  and  release  is 
proclaimed  to  the  captives  as  Jesus  of  Naza¬ 
reth  went  about  doing  good.  Somehow  as  the 
thronging  multitude  is  moving  toward  Caper¬ 
naum  it  is  purer  than  when  it  met  this  Teacher 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  prayer.  Not 
Jews  alone  notice  this  strange  transformation 
that  is  daily  going  on  before  their  eyes,  but 
the  Gentiles  are  observing  too.  And  shall 
we  say  these  very  Gentiles  are  reading  deeper 
than  are  the  Jews? 

But  look  well  to  it,  that  moving  throng  has 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  ill 

halted.  What  is  taking  place?  The  Master 
is  looking  very  earnest  into  the  faces  of  two 
men  who  are  standing  before  him.  Who  are 
they?  They  are  Jewish  elders  stroking  their 
long  beards.  They  are  talking  to  him  about 
a  centurion  whose  servant  that  is  dear  unto 
him  that  is  grievously  tormented  with  the 
palsy.  They  are  speaking  in  a  confidential 
tone  on  this  wise:  “No,  Teacher,  we  are 
aware  that  this  is  a  centurion — a  Gentile  that 
is  sending  us  to  request  this  thing  of  thee.  We 
also  fully  appreciate  that  it  is  not  in  keeping 
with  our  customs  to  request  that  Jewish  favors 
be  bestowed  upon  Gentiles,  but  this  man  is 
worthy  for  whom  we  ask  this.  He  takes  an 
interest  in  our  religion.  Yes,  he  loves  our  na¬ 
tion  and  has  built  us  a  synagogue.  Now  he 
has  sent  us  to  say  to  thee,  ‘Lord,  my  servant 
lieth  in  the  house  sick  of  the  palsy,  grievously 
tormented.’  He  requested  us  to  come  to  thee 
and  lay  his  cause  before  thee.  Of  course  if 
he  were  a  Jew  he  would  have  come  to  thee 
himself  and  would  have  made  his  request  di¬ 
rectly  to  thee  as  he  might  desire.” 

The  Master  went  with  them,  saying,  “I  will 
go  and  heal  him.”  As  he  is  now  not  far  from 
the  house,  the  centurion  who  had  his  eyes  set 
in  the  direction  the  elders  had  gone  forth,  got 


I  12 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


a  glimpse  of  Him  in  the  midst  of  the  throng 
and  press,  and  rose  up  quickly  to  go  and  meet 
him.  Yes,  he  sees  the  Jewish  elders  in  the 
van  of  the  throng.  They  were  leading  the 
throng  with  an  air  of  importance  because  of 
this  thing  that  they  had  done,  for  it  was 
through  their  good  offices  that  the  Teacher 
recognized  the  plea  of  this  centurion  at  all. 
The  feet  of  the  elders  are  very  light  as  they 
feel  an  exhilarating  satisfaction  going  through 
their  every  tissue. 

But  the  Roman  halts  as  though  a  second 
thought  has  taken  hold  of  him.  He  is  turning 
and  speaking  to  some  Jewish  friends  at  his 
side.  What  is  he  saying  to  them?  They  are 
too  far  away  to  let  the  throng  hear  the  words. 
But,  lo,  these  men  are  running  towards  the 
crowd  while  the  centurion  is  turning  back  to 
his  house.  What  has  taken  place  in  that  Rom¬ 
an’s  mind?  Is  he  disgusted  at  the  vanity  of 
the  elders?  Has  he  lost  faith,  and  dispatched 
these  friends  to  inform  the  Teacher  that  it  is 
useless  to  come  further? 

Now  the  friends  of  the  centurion  are  before 
the  Master.  Listen!  they  are  saying  unto  him: 
“Lord,  trouble  not  thyself;  for  I  am  not 
worthy  that  thou  shouldest  come  under  my 
roof:  wherefore  neither  thought  I  myself 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  113 

worthy  to  come  unto  thee:  but  say  the  word 
and  my  servant  shall  be  healed.  For  I  also 
am  a  man  set  under  authority,  having  under 
myself  soldiers;  and  I  say  to  this  one,  Go,  and 
he  goeth;  and  to  another,  Come,  and  he 
cometh;  and  to  my  servant,  Do  this,  and  he 
doeth  it.” 

There  is  a  look  of  amazement  on  the  face  of 
the  great  Teacher.  Have  the  multitudes  ever 
witnessed  such  a  look  before?  Has  he  not 
performed  marvelous  things  before  their  eyes? 
Certainly  this  is  out  of  the  ordinary  for  this 
Teacher  to  marvel.  All  is  silent  as  the  great 
Master  looks  into  the  faces  of  these  men  who 
have  brought  these  words  from  the  centurion. 
The  eye  of  Christ  penetrates  that  thronging 
multitude  and  searches  the  worshipping  heart 
of  that  centurion.  Then  turning  to  the  pas¬ 
sionate,  unsettled  multitude  that  followed  him, 
he  says,  “I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no, 
not  in  Israel.”  It  were  as  though  he  said: 

“I  have  been  searching  the  hearts  of  Israel 
for  a  glimpse  of  such  a  precious  faith  but  I 
have  been  unable  to  find  any  near  the  sim¬ 
plicity  and  beauty  of  this  centurion’s  faith.  I 
have  been  obliged  to  go  out  of  the  borders  of 
Israel  to  find  this  high  degree  of  working 
faith.  Ye  prize  yourselves  in  being  children 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


114 

uf  special  privilege.  Ye  make  yourselves  be¬ 
lieve  that  the  Gentiles  are  excluded  from  these 
privileges  by  God.  But  I  say  unto  you,  ‘That 
many  shall  come  from  the  east  and  the  west, 
and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  the  sons 
of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  forth 
into  outer  darkness:  there  shall  be  the 
weeping  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth.’  And 
this  thing  shall  not  be  for  any  arbitrary 
reason  either.  This  centurion  by  reason  of  his 
high  degree  of  faith  shall  naturally  take  his 
place  with  Abraham.  This  man  is  being  jus¬ 
tified  by  faith  even  as  it  was  with  Abraham, 
and  therefore  takes  a  seat  in  the  kingdom 
even  by  Abraham,  which  ye  forfeit  because 
of  the  unbelief  of  the  hardness  of  your 
hearts.” 

Jesus  pauses  as  he  turns  his  eyes  toward 
the  house,  and  penetrating  that  miracle-mon- 
gering  crowd  sees  the  honest,  sincere  worship¬ 
ping  heart,  and  the  heart  of  Jesus  is  knit  with 
the  heart  of  the  centurion,  and  opening  his 
lips  he  speaks  directly  to  the  centurion,  for 
he  had  drawn  nigh  unto  the  house,  saying, 
“Go  thy  way;  as  thou  hast  believed,  so  be  it 
done  unto  thee.” 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  1 1 5 

The  Nobleman  s  Faith 

In  what  awkward  ways  the  heart  makes  its 
attempts  at  faith?  It  is  hard  to  draw  the  line 
between  sight  and  faith.  Often  a  man  will 
insist  that  his  faith  is  pure  when  it  is  three- 
fourths  sight.  But  Jesus  who  has  his  fan  in 
his  hand  is  ever  sifting  the  chaff  from  the 
wheat;  yes,  he  sifts  for  the  finest  of  the  wheat 
after  the  first  separation  is  made  from  the 
coarser  chaff.  This  sifting  process  is  the  more 
difficult  for  it  is  hard  to  discern  heavenly 
things.  But  Jesus  moves  in  faith  clear  and 
unclouded. 

He  is  coming  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee.  He 
has  been  to  his  first  Passover  since  beginning 
his  ministry.  The  people  had  their  eyes  fixed 
upon  him  down  there  at  the  feast.  Many  be¬ 
lieved  on  his  name,  beholding  the  signs  that 
he  did.  But  Jesus  did  not  trust  himself  unto 
them,  for  that  he  knew  all  men.  He  saw  the 
mistaken  direction  of  their  faith.  They  be¬ 
lieved  because  they  beheld  the  signs.  Faith 
was  sight  with  them.  Different  ones  were  try¬ 
ing  to  tell  him  what  these  “believing  Jews” 
expected  of  him.  The  disciples  themselves 
were  very  anxious  to  inform  him  of  the  nature 
of  what  these  adherents  were  looking  for  in 


ii  6  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

order  that  they  might  not  be  disappointed  in 
their  expectations,  and  that  he  might  leave  no 
opportunity  slip  in  winning  disciples.  As  these 
were  whispering  such  things  among  them¬ 
selves  with  a  degree  of  confiding,  his  great 
lonely  heart  was  full  of  pity  for  those  who 
thought  themselves  so  nearly  after  his  heart. 
They  did  not  need  to  explain  conditions  unto 
Him  for  “he  himself  knew  what  was  in  man.” 

With  this  deep  insight  he  goes  into  Galilee 
— everywhere  meeting  a  throng.  When  at 
the  very  doors  grossness  is  bolting  in.  The 
Galileans  throng  him.  They  have  seen  all 
the  wonders  that  have  made  disciples  at  Jeru¬ 
salem,  for  they  also  went  unto  the  feast.  They 
insist  that  he  do  mighty  works  in  Galilee  as 
he  did  at  Jerusalem.  They  are  thronging  him, 
asking  for  a  sign.  He  has  made  his  way  as 
far  as  Cana. 

They  come  from  Capernaum  to  Cana  seek¬ 
ing  signs.  There  comes  out  of  Capernaum  an 
officer  of  the  king — even  one  of  Herod’s  of¬ 
ficers.  This  nobleman  has  something  weigh¬ 
ing  upon  his  mind  and  heart.  He  draws  as 
near  the  Master  as  possible  mid  the  jamming 
crowd.  With  anxious  countenance  he  looks 
into  the  face  of  the  busy  Teacher.  The  eye  of 
Christ  has  seen  all  the  while  but  he  does  not 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  117 

pause  in  the  midst  of  his  teaching  for  he  knows 
full  well  the  nature  of  the  atmosphere  in 
which  he  is  moving.  This  nobleman  is  anx¬ 
ious  to  speak  with  the  Healer  but  cannot  bring 
himself  to  break  the  laws  of  propriety  and 
thrust  in  upon  him  to  ask  favors  while  he  is 
busy.  But  how  can  he  tarry  longer?  His  son 
is  at  the  point  of  death.  Why  would  it  not 
suffice  to  touch  his  garments?  Why  not  kneel 
before  the  Teacher  as  did  the  leper  and  con¬ 
fess  to  the  Master  what  he  believes  he  can  do 
if  he  wills?  The  Master  pauses  and  looks 
upon  him  as  distress  is  marking  itself  upon 
his  countenance  more  gravely  every  minute. 
The  pause  is  but  an  instant  and  the  impatient 
nobleman  breaks  in  with  a  flood  of  supplica¬ 
tion.  He  presses  upon  the  Master  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  coming  down  to  Capernaum  at  once 
and  healing  his  son  lest  he  die.  Of  course  if 
he  dies  all  is  over.  It  must  be  done  at  once 
to  save  the  life  of  his  boy.  In  his  excitement 
he  has  forgotten  propriety. 

The  Teacher  in  masterful  calmness  speaks, 
saying,  “Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye 
will  no  wise  believe.”  The  nobleman  did  not 
expect  this  rebuff.  Now  a  pleading  excite¬ 
ment  of  over-anxiety  lays  hold  of  him  as  he 
vehemently  insists,  saying,  “Sir,  come  down 


1 1 8  The  Silent  Nazarene 

ere  my  child  die.”  This  nobleman  would  im¬ 
press  the  Teacher  with  the  necessity  of  making 
haste — no  time  to  discuss  the  relations  of  be¬ 
lief  to  signs.  It  would  have  been  well  if  he 
could  have  spoken  after  the  manner  of  the 
centurian,“Lord,  speak  the  word  and  my  child 
shall  live,”  instead  of  being  jeopardized  by 
the  awful  fear  lest  there  would  not  be  suf¬ 
ficient  haste  to  save  his  child.  Jesus  will  lead 
this  nobleman  into  that  higher  faith  into  which 
the  centurian  leaps  and  seizes  the  reward. 
This  man  could  not  reach  his  home  till  the 
morrow  though  he  turn  back  at  once.  Jesus 
speaks  on  this  wise:  “Go  thy  way;  thy  son 
liveth.”  This  was  as  though  he  said:  “Thou 
art  acting  on  the  assumption  that  faith  and 
sight  have  something  in  common,  and  that 
sight  may  exist,  without  faith,  but  faith  never 
without  sight.  But  I  say,  Go  without  sight, 
Go  thy  way;  thy  son  liveth.”  Jesus  remains 
at  Cana  while  that  nobleman  with  his  train  of 
servants  which  he  had  to  bring  Jesus  down 
departs  for  Capernaum.  Somehow  he  is  fac¬ 
ing  Capernaum  in  a  new  faith — everything  is 
new.  The  morning  is  beginning  to  break,  and 
the  crimson  hues  of  light  are  making  the  rosy 
morning  blush.  There  coming  up  the  steep 
slopes  towards  the  valley  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  119 

he  gets  a  glimpse  of  a  little  company.  As 
they  draw  nearer  he  recognizes  his  own  ser¬ 
vants.  Does  a  cold  chill  of  apprehension  that 
something  worse  has  befallen  his  child  since 
he  left  come  over  him?  Not  at  all — his  faith 
is  clear  and  complacent,  he  knows  all  is  right. 
He  believed  the  word  of  Jesus.  His  servants 
are  eager  to  tell  him  that  his  son  lived.  He 
quietly  inquires  of  them  the  hour.  They  an¬ 
swer,  “Yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour  the  fever 
left  him.”  As  the  little  company  moves  on  in 
silence  the  nobleman  in  deep  meditation  rever¬ 
ently  mutters,  “It  was  at  that  hour  the  Teacher 
said,  Thy  son  liveth.” 

As  he  enters  the  house  and  relates  the  story, 
the  mother  looks  upon  her  boy  restored  to 
health  and  then  upon  her  husband  upon  whom 
faith  had  wrought  such  wonderful  transforma¬ 
tion,  and  believes.  Yes,  the  whole  house  be¬ 
lieves.  What?  That  a  prophet  is  able  to  say 
the  word  in  Cana  among  the  hills  of  Galilee 
so  that  the  sick  is  restored  to  health  in  Caper¬ 
naum  by  the  sea? 

But  what  of  the  Teacher’s  faith?  Some¬ 
how  the  supreme  faith  this  Teacher  manifested 
was  as  though  he  walked  in  sight.  He  al¬ 
ways  brought  forth  results.  In  spite  of  all  this 
he  would  insist  that  these  outward  manifesta- 


120 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


tions  which  the  people  called  results  were  not 
“the  good  part  that  could  not  be  taken  away.” 
The  large  as  well  as  the  important  part  was 
hidden  from  sight.  Faith  only  could  achieve 
in  this  larger  realm.  So  he  must  bid  the  noble¬ 
man  walk  by  faith  over  the  hills  of  Galilee 
even  from  Cana  to  Capernaum.  As  the  noble¬ 
man  walks  in  faith  he  walks  with  God  and 
achieves — grips  the  secret  of  faith  which  had 
its  spring  in  the  Teacher. 

The  Syrophcenician  Woman 

As  Teacher  goes  forward  the  opposition  be¬ 
comes  more  persistent  and  stubborn.  Truly 
he  is  finding  faith  in  the  earth — much  fertile 
and  good  ground  to  receive  the  seed  he  is  sow¬ 
ing,  but  the  edge  of  vanity  and  jealousy  is  be¬ 
ing  whetted  more  keen.  Eyes  that  really  hate 
are  fixed  upon  his  good  deeds  of  service.  He 
cuts  through  the  shell  and  lays  bare  the  hurt 
that  is  festering  beneath  a  goodly  appearance. 
The  Pharisees  are  placing  their  treacherous 
snares  everywhere.  Jesus  knows  it  all.  Yet 
his  kindness  to  men  does  not  abate,  though  the  • 
rising  storm  to  crush  him  beats  in  persistently 
from  every  side. 

He  withdraws  into  the  borders  of  Tyre  and 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  12 1 

Sidon.  There  he  seeks  rest.  He  goes  into  an 
obscure  house  seeking  cover  from  the  storm 
that  has  been  so  mad  about  him.  But  he  has 
no  rest  there.  Here  comes  this  one  begging 
to  be  healed;  there  is  that  unfortunate  crea¬ 
ture  imploring  aid.  He  goes  out  into  the  open. 
He  may  as  well  stand  in  the  midst  of  the 
rushing  stream  of  humanity — men  want  to  see 
the  face  of  Christ  even  in  these  foreign  bor¬ 
ders. 

But  he  is  for  the  Jews  only — of  course  he  is. 
What  then  is  that  Greek  woman  about  in  fol¬ 
lowing  him?  She  is  actually  crying  for  mercy. 
The  Teacher  is  paying  no  attention  to  her  cry 
either.  She  goes  persistently  on  and  gets 
rather  boisterous  in  her  cry,  saying,  “Have 
mercy  on  me,  O  Lord,  thou  son  of  David;  my 
daughter  is  grievously  vexed  with  a  demon.” 
But  he  is  silent — he  answers  her  not  a  word. 
How  can  this  man  who  went  about  doing  good 
so  ignore  the  cry  of  this  distracted  woman? 
The  disciples  are  vexed  at  this  altogether  im¬ 
proper  action  on  the  part  of  this  dog  of  a 
Gentile,  and  besought  him,  saying,  “Send  her 
away;  for  she  crieth  after  us.”  He  answers 
and  says,  “Yes,  I  was  not  sent  but  unto  the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.”  Does  she 
see  that  she  is  disgusting  the  disciples,  and  is 


122 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


not  winning  the  approval  of  the  Teacher? 
She  hears  what  the  Teacher  has  said  to  the 
disgusted  disciples  and  crushes  herself  through 
the  edging  crowd,  and  came,  and  worshipped 
him,  saying,  “Lord,  help  me.”  Her  impru¬ 
dence  calls  rebuke  from  the  Teacher  upon 
whom  she  has  thrust  herself?  Why  did  he 
not  send  her  away  at  the  suggestion  of  the  out¬ 
raged  disciples?  Why  cruelly  thrust  through 
her  fervent  appeal?  Listen!  is  this  from  the 
lips  of  the  Teacher  who  spake  words  of  sym¬ 
pathy  and  hope  as  never  man  spake?  “It  is 
not  meet  to  take  the  children’s  bread  and  cast 
it  to  the  dogs.”  But  what  of  that  creature? 
Does  she  resent  this  unwarranted  thrust?  She 
is  conscious  that  she  is  a  Gentile,  and  does  not 
have  to  have  it  reinforced  by  a  phrase  of  con¬ 
tempt  to  cause  her  to  realize  her  position.  Is 
there  something  in  the  manner  of  his  voice 
that  kills  the  spirit  of  resentment,  or  is  she  so 
overwhelmed  with  grief  that  she  does  not  sense 
it?  Hear — she  speaks,  “Yea  (that’s  so) ,  Lord ; 
even  the  dogs  under  the  table  eat  of  the  chil¬ 
dren’s  crumbs.”  We  will  question  the  wisdom 
of  the  procedure  of  this  Teacher  no  further. 
He  answered  and  said  unto  her,  “O  woman, 
great  is  thy  faith:  be  it  done  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt.” 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  123 

This  woman  was  where  she  could  will  and 
have  her  desire.  And  her  daughter  was  healed 
from  that  hour. 

“And  He  Healed  Many ” 

This  man  of  Nazareth  walks  forward  in  the 
earth  taking  for  granted  that  all  things  must 
bend  to  the  wishes  of  the  fullgrown  man.  Of 
course  this  man  must  be  fullgrown,  and  a  man 
must  walk  with  Jesus  to  be  fullgrown.  We 
find  this  Man  teaching  as  never  man  taught 
before — the  source  of  his  teaching  is  centered 
in  God  while  the  object  of  his  instruction  is 
centered  in  the  needs  of  man — his  brother. 
He  is  negligent  of  his  own  needs.  It  is  as 
though  he  had  none  that  should  call  for  con¬ 
sideration.  At  times  he  did  try  to  find  rest 
but  upon  how  many  occasions  did  he  forsake 
his  rest  and  come  into  the  throng  to  help  men 
on  to  life.  Never  man  did  as  this  man — he 
was  no  recluse,  no  ascetic — but  what  of  sacri¬ 
fice?  That  was  everywhere.  Things  that  the 
earth  called  good  were  constantly  thrust  be¬ 
hind  him.  They  must  go  as  shadows  as  he 
wades  into  the  suffering  needs  of  men.  Yes, 
he  heals  many  of  divers  diseases.  He  does  not 
stop  here.  He  takes  the  dead  by  the  hand 


124 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


and  says,  “Arise.”  Yes,  as  one  would  call  a 
friend  from  his  morning  rest  he  calls  the  dead 
to  life  again.  It  is  so  when  men  laugh  him  to 
scorn  because  he  speaks  of  death  as  men  do 
of  sleep,  he  goes  on  unwavering  in  his  course, 
takes  the  dead  by  the  hand  and  calls  it  back 
into  life  as  gently  as  a  mother  calls  her  sleep¬ 
ing  child  to  its  play.  Who  is  this  man?  We 
must  read  what  we  can  of  his  life  and  let  that 
suffice,  for  the  power  with  which  he  is  ac¬ 
quainted  is  always  at  hand  and  is  always  effi¬ 
cient.  He  needs  only  to  exercise  faith  in  this 
power  and  things  are  done.  He  seeks  to  con¬ 
vince  men  that  such  power  is  even  at  their 
doors.  He  tells  them  that  with  an  almost  in¬ 
conceivable  amount  of  faith  they  could  uproot 
a  mountain  and  hurl  it  into  the  sea.  A  word 
would  do  this  he  says.  Have  faith  in  God  and 
all  things  are  at  your  command.  But  we  must 
not  forget  that  he  who  taught  and  acted  on  this 
principle  said  likewise,  “An  evil  and  an  adul¬ 
terous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign”;  and 
that  he  also  said  of  himself,  “My  meat  is  to 
do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me.”  So  the  great 
mark  of  consistency  is  found  everywhere  in 
him. 

Now  he  has  come  out  of  the  borders  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon  to  the  sea  of  Galilee  into  the  midst 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  125 

of  the  Decapolis.  Yes,  he  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
cities  again,  and  there  is  a  howling  multitude. 
They  all  are  eager  to  see.  To  see  what!  Just 
what  men  of  every  generation  clamor  for — to 
see  “some  strange  thing.”  How  they  tire  of 
the  mediocre  and  commonplace.  Yet  life  is 
staked  deep  in  things  of  common  kind.  Here 
the  restless  multitude  is  surging  again — their 
fickle  demands  pressing  upon  the  overwrought 
teacher. 

Many  also  bring  their  sick  to  be  healed. 
Here  is  a  deaf  mute.  What  can  he  expect? 
Jesus  cannot  get  an  answer  from  this  man  as 
to  what  he  would  have  him  do  and  thereby 
determine  his  faith.  This  man  of  God  de¬ 
pends  not  upon  lips  to  tell  needs  and  show 
faith.  He  knows  “what  is  in  man,”  and  he  is 
at  home  with  the  needs  of  men.  So  this 
tongue-tied,  deaf  man  does  not  even  need 
to  nod  his  head  to  tell  what  he  believes 
can  be  done.  But  Jesus  takes  him  aside  pri¬ 
vately  from  the  fickle  multitude  that  was  cu¬ 
rious  to  see  “some  sign,”  and  he  put  his  fingers 
into  his  ears  and  touched  his  tongue;  and  look¬ 
ing  up  to  heaven  he  sighed  and  said  unto  him, 
“Be  opened.” 

Why  aside  privately?  Could  he  not  have 
been  healed  with  a  word  mid  the  multitude? 


126 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


Is  not  this  what  the  friends  of  the  dumb  man 
expected?  His  ears  were  opened;  the  bond  of 
his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  spake  plain.  But 
something  else  happened.  The  Healer  charged 
this  loosed  tongue  to  hold  the  secret — “tell  no 
man.”  But  the  more  he  charged  him  so  much 
the  more  he  published  it.  Yes,  when  he  re¬ 
turns  to  the  multitude  speaking  plainly  every 
one  must  ask  him  a  question  to  hear  how  he 
speaks.  Do  you  hear  them  exclaim,  “It  was 
never  so  seen  in  Israel.”  They  were  as¬ 
tonished  beyond  measure,  saying,  “He  hath 
done  all  things  well;  he  maketh  even  the  deaf 
to  hear  and  the  dumb  to  speak.”  They  could 
test  this  miracle  on  the  spot,  and  examine  it  by 
the  word  of  mouth — handle  and  touch  it 
everywhere.  So  the  Teacher  lays  the  charge, 
“Except  ye  see  signs  ye  will  not  believe.” 

The  New  Birth 

The  prophet  said  of  the  coming  righteous 
ruler — the  Branch  of  the  stock  of  Jesse,  “He 
shall  draw  his  breath  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.” 
He  gives  him  a  place  of  unique  distinction 
above  all  the  rulers  of  the  earth.  The  atmos¬ 
phere  in  which  the  rulers  of  the  earth  draw 
their  breath  is  charged  with  self-interests — 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  127 

they  judge  after  the  sight  of  the  eye  and  the 
hearing  of  the  ear.  But  it  is  not  so  with  this 
king.  “He  shall  not  judge  after  the  sight  of 
the  eyes,  neither  decide  after  the  hearing  of  the 
ears;  but  with  righteousness.” 

Marked  are  the  traces  in  physical  life  of 
the  atmosphere  in  which  they  draw  their 
breath.  They  are  as  the  breath  they  breathe. 
They  live,  move  and  have  their  being  in 
that  which  they  breathe.  They  change 
with  it,  and  we  say,  They  become  accli¬ 
mated.  When  they  give  up  drawing  their 
breath  in  the  atmosphere  they  become  like  the 
inanimate  nature  out  of  which  their  breath 
came.  Some  of  the  elements  of  their  decom¬ 
posing  forms  become  through  the  changing 
processes  of  nature  the  atmosphere  to  feed 
the  physical  life  anew.  Constantly  a  new  or¬ 
der  is  born  out  of  an  old  order,  but  still  it  is 
physical — still  it  is  densely  ingrained  in  sel¬ 
fishness — each  seed  is  yielding  seed  after  its 
kind.  They  feed  and  help  each  other  in  spite 
of  self-promotion.  Nature  forces  them  to  die 
— to  give  their  lives  to  others — a  law  born 
out  of  necessity.  This  is  the  law  to  which  the 
brute  must  yield.  Must  man  share  in  the 
same?  He  must  draw  his  breath  in  two  atmos¬ 
pheres — the  physical  and  the  spiritual. 


128 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


Man  opens  his  eyes  in  a  material  world, 
and  he  has  his  ears  open  to  catch  the  sounds 
from  every  direction.  He  may  doubt  every¬ 
thing  else,  and  he  may  thrust  himself  along 
and  exist  in  spite  of  everything  else,  but  one 
thing  he  knows — he  knows  the  body  must  be 
fed.  He  may  gather  his  living  as  the  savage 
by  plundering  the  weaker,  or  he  may  steal,  or 
he  may  get  it  dishonestly  by  invading  the 
rights  of  his  fellow,  or  he  may  be  in  the 
struggle  honestly  for  that  which  he  knows  he 
must  have.  This  to  both  eye  and  ear  is  the 
very  important  thing — “A  man  must  live.” 

Now  the  spiritual  side  in  its  manifold  pos¬ 
sibilities  is  in  need  of  training  and  develop¬ 
ment  to  enable  it  to  swing  out  into  the  larger 
range  of  the  universe.  But  here  at  the  very 
threshold  it  is  endangered  of  being  bound 
hand  and  foot  in  the  physical  struggle  for  ex¬ 
istence  which  develops  into  greed.  Instead 
of  the  spirit  enlarging  and  rising  out  of  the 
physical  it  is  saturated  and  surcharged  with 
it.  This  renders  the  rulers  incapable  of  ren¬ 
dering  righteous  judgment,  they  are  largely 
biased  by  their  own  interests — they  are  as  the 
atmosphere  in  which  they  draw  their  breath. 

What  moral  and  spiritual  excellence  must 
there  be  to  lift  above  these  things?  It  must 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  129 

be  none  other  than  this,  that  one  must  draw  his 
breath  in  the  spiritual  rather  than  the  phy¬ 
sical  atmosphere.  The  spiritual  atmosphere 
must  proceed  forth  from  the  God-centre — He 
must  draw  his  breath  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 
“And  righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his 
waist,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  loins.” 
It  is  no  longer  a  matter  of  nature  driving  and 
forcing  on  out  of  its  laws  of  necessity  that 
death  may  force  the  rightful  claim  of  others, 
but  it  is  a  matter  of  moral  and  spiritual 
achievement  in  which  the  motives  of  unselfish¬ 
ness  rule  and  make  possible  the  life  that  is 
achieving  in  giving  up  all  in  enriching  life 
about  it.  Such  requires  the  new  birth — the 
birth  from  above  out  of  the  higher  spiritual 
order:  “Ye  must  be  born  again.” 

What  then  is  the  advantage?  Here  the 
rights  of  others  are  not  only  tolerated,  and 
jealousy  safeguarded,  but  the  servant’s  own 
life  is  lost  sight  of  in  interest  of  the  life  all 
about.  It  is  no  longer  bold  necessity  driving 
one  to  give  up  for  sake  of  the  other  but  it  is 
love  sweetening  and  strengthening  life  every¬ 
where.  Brutes  no  longer  devour  one  another 
for  a  subsistence  but  men  live  for  one  another, 
and  all  work  together  in  the  supreme  love  of 
God  for  the  perfecting  of  the  plan  of  crea- 


130  The  Silent  Nazarene 

tion. 

Now  there  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees, 
named  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews:  the 
same  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and  said  to  him, 
“Rabbi,  we  know  that  thou  art  a  teacher  come 
from  God;  for  no  man  can  do  these  signs  that 
thou  doest,  except  God  be  with  him.” 

Now  this  was  the  way  exactly  the  common 
people  were  measuring  Jesus,  namely,  by  the 
miracles  he  was  performing.  Marveling  at 
the  signs  that  he  did,  the  common  people  at 
once  took  him  to  be  the  Messiah,  and  set  them¬ 
selves  to  make  him  their  king;  but  the  same 
excited  jealousy  in  the  breasts  of  the  Pharisees. 
But  this  time  we  have  a  Pharisee  coming  to 
Jesus  and  it  meant  much  for  this  man,  being 
a  ruler  of  the  Jews,  to  take  such  a  step.  He 
had  seen  these  signs  wrought  and  his  heart 
was  burning  within  him  to  have  a  private  in¬ 
terview  with  the  Teacher. 

The  night  is  quiet,  and  why  arouse  any 
needless  prejudice  in  a  matter  of  this  kind? 
The  foolhardy  and  the  unwise  flaunt  what  they 
can  do  in  the  face  of  bias  and  prejudice.  So 
this  man  comes  at  night  to  have  a  quiet,  un¬ 
disturbed  interview  with  the  great  Teacher. 

Jesus  is  not  talking  to  the  unlearned  and 
the  man  of  common  affairs  this  time;  but  he  is 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  13 1 

conversing  with  one  who  should,  if  any,  un¬ 
derstand  the  great  things  that  pertain  to  the 
religion  of  the  Jews.  However,  this  ruler  did 
did  not  introduce  himself,  happily  for  his 
position  and  standing  in  Israel.  He  was  tak¬ 
ing  the  same  standard  of  measurement  as  the 
common  people. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  learned  ruler  that 
the  signs  that  the  Teacher  did  were  unmistak¬ 
able  marks  of  his  divine  origin,  Jesus  an¬ 
swered  and  said  unto  him: 

“Then,  Nicodemus,  thou  hast  proof  of  what 
I  am,  and  whence  I  came?” 

“Yea,  Teacher,  I  have  good  evidence — I 
have  seen  the  miracles  thou  hast  wrought,  and 
I  am  convinced  that  no  man  can  do  these  signs 
except  God  be  with  him.” 

“This  then  is  proof  conclusive  that  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  is  come?” 

“Yea,  Rabbi,  all  men  believe  that  Messiah 
has  come.” 

But  Jesus  answered  and  said:  “Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.” 

There  are  two  or  three  deep  furrows  in  his 
forehead  as  Nicodemus  looks  into  the  calm, 
benign  face  of  the  Christ  as  the  pale  light  of 
the  moon  is  but  half  revealing  the  delicate 


132 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


tender  pity  that  is  expressing  itself  from  his 
deep  searching  eyes.  Do  the  lips  of  the  Christ 
quiver,  or  do  they  remain  fixed  while  his  eyes 
in  the  spell  of  that  pale  moonlight  pierce  and 
speak,  “Are  they  hard  words,  Nicodemus?” 

What  questions  have  been  beaten  out  at 
white  heat  from  the  forge  of  the  inquiring  soul 
under  the  spell  of  the  mystical?  The  lips  of 
this  ruler  of  the  Jews  part,  and  the  question 
that  is  forged  under  the  glow  of  the  mystical 
spell,  he  somehow  attempts  to  excuse  in  a 
childish  inquiry,  saying,  “How  can  a  man  be 
born  when  he  is  old?  can  he  enter  a  second 
time  into  his  mother’s  womb,  and  be  born?” 

Jesus  answers  on  this  wise:  “Is  it  possible 
that  thou  canst  only  think  in  terms  of  the  flesh 
and  the  material?  The  flesh  profiteth  noth¬ 
ing.  The  Spirit  maketh  alive.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  thee,  except  a  man  be  born  of  the 
Spirit  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.” 

At  this  Nicodemus  looked  upon  the  Christ 
in  silent  amazement.  He  was  not  prepared  to 
speak  for  what  a  trifling  distance  was  the  un¬ 
derstanding  of  this  ruler  of  the  Jews  removed 
from  that  of  the  common  people?  He  was 
measuring  the  Teacher  with  the  same  measure 
as  that  of  the  fickle  multitude.  The  Teacher 
looked  upon  this  ruler  mystified  to  silence. 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  133 

and  said:  “That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh 
is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is 
spirit.  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee,  Ye 
must  be  born  anew.  The  wind  bloweth  where 
it  will,  and  thou  hearest  the  voice  thereof, 
but  knowest  not  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither 
it  goeth :  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the 
Spirit.  Thou  knowest  that  it  is  done — the 
marks  are  proof  positive.” 

Nicodemus  is  perplexed  beyond  measure, 
for  somehow  he  feels  the  ground  sliding  from 
under  his  feet — even  that  ground  upon  which 
the  Jewish  thought  of  the  Messiah  had  built 
so  strongly.  All  the  Jews’  ambitions  and  hopes 
were  freighted  upon  this  one  hope.  Now  he 
discovered  this  man  to  whom  he  bound  this 
hope  looking  into  something  vague  and  un¬ 
certain — apart  from  the  cherished  hope  upon 
which  the  Jew  had  staked  his  all.  So  with 
lips  apart  Nicodemus  continues  to  look  into 
the  face  of  the  great  Teacher,  but  as  he  looks 
his  lips  steal  an  expression  from  his  over¬ 
charged  soul. 

“How  can  these  things  be?” 

Jesus  knew  all  the  while  what  was  going 
forward  in  this  ruler’s  soul  of  souls,  and  an¬ 
swered  and  said  unto  him,  “Art  thou  the 
teacher  of  Israel,  and  understandest  not  these 


134 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


things?  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  We 
speak  that  which  we  know,  and  bear  witness 
of  that  which  we  have  seen;  and  ye  receive 
not  our  witness.  If  I  told  you  earthly  things 
and  ye  believe  not,  how  shall  ye  believe  if  I 
tell  you  heavenly  things?” 

Nicodemus  bows  his  head  in  deep  contem¬ 
plation  as  though  he  said,  “I  don’t  understand 
but  I  will  follow  thee.”  So  it  was  when  the 
rulers  of  the  Jews  were  assembled  in  Council 
to  condemn  the  Teacher  and  plan  his  destruc¬ 
tion  that  Nicodemus  saith  unto  them,  “Doth 
our  law  judge  a  man,  except  it  first  hear  from 
himself  and  know  what  he  doeth?”  This 
brought  down  the  storm  upon  the  head  of 
Nicodemus,  for  they  answered  him,  saying, 
“Art  thou  also  of  Galilee?  Search,  and  see 
that  out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet.”  And 
John  who  gives  us  this  glimpse  of  the  great 
Teacher  and  this  lone  pupil  on  that  certain 
night  gives  us  this  glimpse  also:  “And 
there  came  also  Nicodemus,  he  who  at  first 
came  to  him  at  night,  bringing  a  mixture  of 
myrrh  and  aloes,  about  a  hundred  pounds. 
So  they  took  the  body  of  Jesus  and  bound  it  in 
linen  cloths  with  the  spices.” 

The  silent  miracle  was  at  work — the  new 
birth  was  on  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  cher- 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  135 
ished  hope  of  Israel  was  shattered. 


The  Living  Water 

These  two  are  inseparably  linked  together 
— God  and  immortality.  This  has  been  the 
miracle  working  spirit  among  men.  It  mat¬ 
ters  little  how  men  of  scientific  bias  endeavor 
to  explain  the  teachings  of  Jesus  as  being  pri¬ 
marily  confined  to  this  earthly  life,  there  al¬ 
ways  has  been,  and  there  is,  and  there  always 
will  be  a  large  majority  among  Christians 
who  insist  with  Paul :  “If  in  this  life  only  we 
have  hope  in  Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  most 
miserable  (pitiable).”  However,  this  may 
be  interpreted,  this  one  thing  is  certain,  the 
apostle  had  insistent  reference  to  the  resur¬ 
rection  and  the  hope  in  the  future  life  for  the 
individual.  Not  the  immortality  and  triumph 
of  the  good,  though  that  is  tacitly  assumed. 
It  is  certainly  individual  immortality  that  is 
aimed  at — Eternal  life  and  enjoyment  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  for  all  who  have  “fought 
the  good  fight”  and  have  “kept  the  faith.” 

Men  will  ever  interpret  such  words  as  these 
from  Jesus:  “Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live 
also,”  not  as  referring  to  a  redeemed  and 
purged  social  order,  but  as  a  declaration  of  in- 


136 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


dividual  immortality  when  death  has  stripped 
the  last  vestige  of  material  being  from  off  the 
soul  of  the  believer.  It  shall  be  an  immortal¬ 
ity  of  divine  companionship — the  life  of  the 
believer  is  inseparably  bound  up  in  the  life  of 
the  great  Friend  and  Redeemer.  And  as 
this  Redeemer  is  God  for  us,  it  is  the  most 
natural  conclusion  in  the  world  to  say:  “Be¬ 
cause  God  lives  we  shall  live  also.”  Do  not 
the  gospels  breathe  out  this  spirit  everywhere? 
The  parables  have  reference  to  this  great  up¬ 
lifting  hope  that  raises  humanity’s  drooping 
head;  so  is  the  irresistible  undercurrent  of  the 
miracles  or  works  of  Jesus  (for  all  the  works 
of  Jesus  are  miracles,  for  when  have  works 
transformed  the  heart  of  humanity  as  these 
works  have  done?)  ;  and  his  direct  teachings 
(without  parable  and  without  works)  always 
leave  the  spirit  aglow  that  this  is  so.  Men 
may  have  taken  the  teachings  of  Paul  to  erect 
their  precise  definitions  in  theology,  but  it 
cannot  be  said  that  from  these  precise  man¬ 
made  phrases  and  absolute  categorical  defini¬ 
tions  they  have  drawn  their  inspiration  of 
eternal  life.  Sanely  considering  it  on  the 
other  hand — the  works,  the  parables,  the  direct 
teachings,  and  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ  on 
earth  have  the  great  climax  in  the  risen  Lord 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  137 


— a  voice  that  cannot  be  hushed.  Earth  may 
hold  the  empty  tomb  but  heaven  received  the 
risen  Lord.  The  believer  remembers  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  said,  “I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you,”  and  that  believer  knows  that 
the  risen  Lord  has  gone  that  way  to  fulfill  the 
promise,  and  sets  his  face  steadfastly  in  the 
direction  his  Lord  has  gone.  The  burden  of 
proof  is  with  the  opposition  if  they  will  have 
it  otherwise. 

Why  all  these  words?  Because  men  have 
been  unwilling  to  grasp  immortality  in  its  en¬ 
tirety.  Not  that  they  fail  to  live  the  whole  of 
immortality  at  once,  that  is  out  of  the  question, 
but  that  they  have  been  confused  as  to  its  be¬ 
ginning — many  thought  the  grave  was  to  be 
the  beginning;  yes,  and  many  think  the  same 
to-day;  while  others  hold — eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry  here,  and  if  there  is  anything  hereafter — 
“all  well  and  good,”  and  if  not  you  have  this 
much  enjoyment  out  of  your  existence  at  any 
rate.  This  latter  class  miss  the  mark  en¬ 
tirely.  Such  would  not  justify  even  an  exist¬ 
ence.  It  is  sheer  selfishness  to  make  enjoy¬ 
ment  an  end  in  itself  as  this  class  would  fain 
do.  Existence  is  justified  only  in  living  for 
others,  and  immortality  awakens  in  the  breast 
just  in  so  far  as  life  is  lost  in  the  welfare  of 


138 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


the  neighbor.  The  two  voices  must  not  be 
confused.  Gross  selfishness  says,  “Get  out  of 
life  all  you  can  for  yourself:”  while  the  seed 
out  of  which  immortality  bursts  forth  is  every¬ 
where  exclaiming,  “Put  into  life  all  you  can 
for  others.”  So  the  embryo  of  immortality  is 
service,  and  this  is  certainly  what  Jesus  taught, 
“He  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find 
it.”  Equally  true  is  it  that  self-seeking  is 
the  sepulchre  of  death,  “He  that  findeth  his 
life  shall  lose  it.”  Here  it  is  all  put  succinctly. 
The  man  who  seeks  to  get  out  of  life  all  he 
can  for  self  and  who  fears  to  trust  too  much 
to  a  future  life  lest  he  leave  some  enjoyment 
slip  here  on  earth,  loses  himself  in  eternal 
death;  while  the  man  who  lives  by  the  great 
principles  of  Christ  in  denying  self  and  taking 
up  his  cross  forgets  himself  into  eternal  life. 
This  is  not  merely  a  great  name  to  endure  to 
the  end  of  time  in  the  memory  of  men,  for 
that  too  is  hollow  deceiving,  but  the  fact  of  a 
personal  life  of  development  out  of  the  great 
principles  of  love  and  service  in  an  eternity 
beginning  with  the  first  unfolding  of  life — 
this  unbroken  development  of  the  personal  life 
of  the  individual  is  the  immortality  that  is 
meant. 

As  a  reaction  to  the  doctrine  that  we  must 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  139 

wait  till  the  grave  gives  up  its  dead  to  begin 
immortality,  and  also  to  escape  the  monstrous 
idea  that  we  are  to  get  all  the  enjoyment  out 
of  this  life  possible,  as  a  bird  in  the  hand  is 
worth  two  in  the  bush,  men  have  laid  undue 
emphasis  upon  service  to  our  fellows  here. 
Yes,  they  tell  us  to  go  ahead  and  do  the  right 
thing  by  our  fellows  here  as  the  future  is  back 
of  the  veil  and  we  do  not  know  very  much 
about  it  at  any  rate.  It’s  a  matter  of  very 
little  concern  to  us,  and  Christ  did  not  place 
much  emphasis  upon  it  either.  Is  this  so? 
Is  this  voice  a  true  interpretation  of  Christ? 
Does  it  voice  the  highest  that  is  in  the  heart 
of  man?  The  answer  in  each  case  comes  with 
an  emphatic  “No.”  Personal  immortality  is 
the  important  thing  just  as  the  personal  exist¬ 
ence  of  the  Eternal  God  is  the  important 
thing.  Then  the  man  who  is  voicing  our  age 
throws  up  his  hands  and  exclaims  with  great 
indignation,  “Selfishness! — then  you  make  the 
motive  for  immortality  selfish,  and  personal 
salvation  is  a  selfish  affair.” 

Let  the  charge  this  voice  has  brought  be 
searched  out.  It  is  a  selfish  affair  if  you  are 
trying  to  be  saved  alone  regardless  of  the  good 
that  should  come  by  your  having  lived  to  your 
fellows.  But  if  what  we  see  here  among  men  is 


140  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

a  glimpse  of  the  perfect  type  that  is  in  heaven, 
then  it  is  no  selfish  idea  if  we  wish  to  grow  out 
of  limitations  and  imperfections  to  be  clothed 
upon  with  larger  capacity  for  doing  good. 
We  are  told  by  him  who  attained  the  highest 
moral  and  spiritual  achievements  the  earth  has 
ever  witnessed  that  “God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son  that  who¬ 
soever  believeth  on  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  eternal  life.” 

Now  the  motive  that  prompts  Heaven  to 
serve  and  save  is  love.  Love  does  not  need 
an  imperfect  world  in  the  sense  that  it  is  sin¬ 
ful  to  do  service.  Many  in  these  days  speak 
as  though  the  whole  of  service  is  the  patching 
up  of  disabled  machinery.  The  machinery 
needs  repair,  that  is  true,  but  it  needs  to  be 
repaired  that  the  grain  might  be  better  pro¬ 
duced  and  garnered.  Therefore,  the  highest 
achievements,  and  that  for  which  we  are  so 
busy  in  bringing  about  the  proper  conditions 
for  bodily  comfort  and  development  is  moral 
and  spiritual  excellence.  Jesus  Christ  says, 
Take  the  Father’s  perfection  as  the  goal  to¬ 
ward  which  to  strive. 

If  we  are  to  be  perfect  even  as  our  Father 
who  is  in  heaven  is  perfect,  it  should  not  be 
surprising  when  we  hear  Jesus  saying  such 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  14 1 

things  as  these:  “Whosoever  liveth  and  be- 
lieveth  in  me  shall  never  die”;  “He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life”;  “Because 
I  live,  ye  shall  live  also”;  “Whosoever  drink- 
eth  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
never  thirst;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing 
up  into  everlasting  life.”  The  grave  does  not 
even  arrest  this  great  process  of  life.  It  is 
but  the  bursting  of  the  crude  shell,  and  life 
cuts  loose  from  its  many  limitations,  springs 
up  into  its  larger  activities — a  living  in  and 
because  of  Christ,  putting  on  more  and  more 
of  the  nature  of  God. 

He  who  grasps  this  conception  here  prays 
fervently  and  reverently,  Thy  will  be  done  in 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  God’s  will  being 
done  here  does  not  exclude  its  being  done  in 
heaven,  but  makes  emphatic  the  burning  de¬ 
sire  of  the  child  of  God  that  earth  be  brought 
into  closer  relation  and  a  deeper  harmony 
with  heaven.  He  who  prays  fervently,  “Thy 
kingdom  come,”  does  not  exclude  individual 
or  personal  immortality,  but  shares  in  the 
great  beneficent  nature  of  God  who  wills  that 
all  peoples  of  the  earth  have  part  in  the  high¬ 
est  possible  good  and  blessedness.  They  who 
utter  this  prayer  are  moved  by  the  great  mo- 


142 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


tive  that  moves  the  heart  of  God,  for  God  so 
loved  the  world.  This  is  participating  in 
God’s  great  nature,  entering  into  his  beneficent 
plan,  and  achieving  along  with  his  Almighty 
arm. 

" Therefore  to  whom  turn  I  but  to  thee ,  the 
ineffable  Name? 

Builder  and  maker,  thou,  of  houses  not 
made  with  hands! 

What,  have  fear  of  change  from  thee  who  art 
ever  the  same? 

Doubt  that  thy  power  can  fill  the  heart  that 
thy  power  expands? 

Th  ere  shall  never  be  one  lost  good!  What 
was,  shall  live  as  before; 

The  evil  is  null,  is  naught,  is  silence  imply - 
ing  sound; 

What  was  good  shall  be  good,  with,  for  evil, 
so  much  good  more; 

On  earth  the  broken  arcs;  in  heaven,  the 
perfect  round.” 

Shall  we  then  say  that  the  grave  shall  sun¬ 
der  such  relations,  or  even  arrest  this  com¬ 
panionable  working  together?  Shall  the  Al¬ 
mighty  go  on  and  cast  aside  those  with  whom 
he  has  wrought  and  take  on  new  till  he  sees 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  143 

fit  to  be  done  with  them?  Wherein  then 
shall  the  plan  of  creation  be  effected?  Shall 
he  discard  and  cast  aside  all  types  till  he  gets 
a  type  to  suit  him?  Why  not  then  have  created 
a  perfect  type  in  the  beginning?  Can  he  take 
the  imperfect  type  and  bring  it  into  perfec¬ 
tion  if  that  type  desires  that  such  should  be, 
and  that  God’s  will  be  done  in  the  achieving? 
Is  not  the  desire  of  the  child  like  unto  that  of 
the  Father?  And  where  is  the  power  in 
heaven,  earth  or  hell  that  can  separate  the 
yearnings  of  the  heart  of  the  child  for  the 
Father  from  the  loving  kindness  and  the  ten¬ 
der  mercies  of  the  great  heart  of  the  Almighty 
Father  for  the  child?  “For  I  am  persuaded, 
that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor 
principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present, 
nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor 
any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate 
us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord.” 

Righteousness  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the 
waters  cover  the  seas,  and  then  how  much 
more  grandly  shall  developing  souls  burst  the 
crude  shell  and  enter  upon  the  eternal  inherit¬ 
ance,  as  servants  of  the  Most  High;  yea,  as 
sons  of  God,  heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with 
Christ.  The  redeemed  and  purged  social  or- 


144 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


der  upon  the  earth  will  not  exclude  individual 
immortality,  and  was  never  taught  by  Christ 
and  his  disciples  that  it  would.  But  on  the 
other  hand  the  definite  teachings  on  which 
the  hope  of  individual  immortality  is  based, 
have  broadened  the  horizon,  deepened  the 
zenith,  and  have  made  men  heroic  in  circum¬ 
stances  that  otherwise  would  have  crushed 
them.  To  minimize  this  uplifting  hope  will 
be  to  make  men  move  in  a  dead  line  in  the 
earth,  however  pure  and  noble  the  idea  may 
be  thought  to  be  by  doing  so.  What  grander 
purpose  can  there  be  than  a  glowing  desire  to 
have  all  men  everywhere  to  lift  up  their  heads 
above  the  dead-weight  of  materialism  and 
share  in  this  most  blessed  of  hopes?  Without 
it  men  become  gross  as  the  material  with 
which  they  work,  and  though  noble  their  ef¬ 
forts  might  seem  to  be  the  force  is  spent  in 
patching  up  machinery  to  have  it  fall  to  pieces 
in  their  hands.  The  Master  has  warned  us  of 
this  sort,  saying,  “Labor  not  for  the  meat  that 
perisheth.”  Then  too  with  the  fulcrum  of 
immortality  to  lift  the  faith  of  men  we  have 
something  to  console  when  “The  silver  chord 
is  loosed,  or  the  golden  bowl  is  broken,  or  the 
pitcher  is  broken  at  the  fountain,  or  the  wheel 
broken  at  the  cistern,  and  the  dust  returneth 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  145 

to  the  earth  as  it  was,”  for  we  are  persuaded 
that  the  spirit  of  our  friend  “returneth  unto 
God  who  gave  it.” 

Jesus  leaves  Judea,  and  departs  for  Galilee, 
and  he  must  needs  pass  through  Samaria. 
And  he  came  to  Sychar,  a  city  of  Samaria, 
near  to  the  parcel  of  ground  Jacob  gave  to  his 
son  Joseph;  and  Jacob’s  well  was  there.  He 
sat  by  the  well  as  his  disciples  departed  into 
the  city  to  buy  bread.  As  he  sat  there  a  wo¬ 
man  came  out  of  the  city  to  draw  water.  That 
woman  saw  him  this  lone  Jew  but  made  as 
though  she  saw  him  not.  This  Jew,  however, 
is  searching  out  her  heart,  and  saith  unto  her, 

“Give  me  to  drink.” 

The  woman,  starting  back,  saith  unto  him, 
“How  is  it  that  thou,  being  a  Jew,  asketh 
drink  of  me  who  am  a  Samaritan?” 

“If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who 
it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  ‘Give  me  to  drink,’  thou 
wouldst  have  asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have 
given  thee  living  water.” 

The  woman  saith  unto  him,  “Sir,  thou  hast 
nothing  to  draw  with,  and  the  well  is  deep : 
whence  then  hast  thou  that  living  water?” 

The  eye  of  the  great  Teacher  penetrated  and 
searched  deep  into  the  secrets  of  the  soul 


146 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


that  was  drawing  within  itself.  The  woman 
would  ask  another  question  as  though  subtly 
to  conceal  the  importance  she  attached  to  the 
first. 

“Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob, 
who  gave  us  the  well,  and  drank  thereof  him¬ 
self,  and  his  sons  and  his  cattle?”  But  help¬ 
less  creature!  she  had  only  opened  the  way 
for  this  Jew  whose  eye  was  searching  her  out. 

The  Jew  answered,  saying,  “Every  one  that 
drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again.  The 
water  of  this  well  gives  only  temporary  sat¬ 
isfaction;  thirst  becomes  as  burning  as  ever, 
and  if  the  man  who  drinketh  here  is  lost  in 
the  desert  he  will  die  of  thirst. 

“Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst;  but  the  water 
that  I  shall  give  him  shall  become  in  him  a 
well  of  water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life.” 

Doth  she  still  evade  as  though  she  discerned 
not  in  the  least  the  meaning  of  what  he  said? 

“Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not 
(had  she  made  an  end  of  speaking  here  it  had 
been  well,  but  she  must  add  further  only  to 
her  confusion),  neither  come  all  the  way 
hither  to  draw.” 

The  great  Master  has  pressed  the  motive  of 
her  heart  to  a  thirsting  desire,  and  now  must 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  147 

uncover  and  lay  bare  the  heart,  showing  her 
“all  she  ever  did.” 

“Go,  call  thy  husband,  and  come  hither.” 

Can  she  find  any  subtle  way  of  evading  this 
request?  She  cast  her  eyes  down  and  in  spite 
of  herself  made  the  bold  confession,  for  the 
searching  eye  and  the  pressing  question  of  this 
Jew  had  stung  her  to  the  quick:  “I  have  no 
husband.” 

She  didn’t  mean  to  tell  him  that  she  only 
sought  to  escape  that  scrutinizing  search.  But 
the  Teacher  had  uncovered  the  secret — laid 
open  the  wound  to  the  garish  light  which  she 
had  fought  so  hard  to  keep  him  from  accom¬ 
plishing. 

“Thou  saidst  well,  I  have  no  husband:  for 
thou  hast  had  five  husbands;  and  he  whom 
thou  now  hast  is  not  thy  husband;  this  hast 
thou  said  truly.” 

It  is  as  though  the  Teacher  said  even  in  lan¬ 
guage  more  expressive  than  the  spoken  word, 
“Thou  hast  made  as  though  thou  couldst  not 
sense  the  meaning  of  what  I  was  speaking  to 
thee  concerning  ‘the  living  water,’  but  in  thine 
every  word  to  conceal  thou  didst  lay  bare  thy 
need  of  the  diving  water.’  ” 

The  thing  is  so.  But  it  is  too  plain  for  the 
woman’s  comfort.  Again  she  must  confess 


148 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


as  the  truth  presses,  “Sir,  I  perceive  that  thou 
art  a  prophet.”  Had  she  stopped  with  this 
admission  she  had  done  well.  But  such  was 
not  to  be.  The  gaze  of  the  eyes  of  the  revealer 
of  hearts  was  burning  into  her  soul.  She  can¬ 
not  look  into  his  marvelous  clear  eye  but  must 
cast  her  eyes  to  Mt.  Gerizan,  for  she  would 
fain  turn  that  terrible  searching  eye  from  her 
heart  to  this  place  of  Samaritan  worship. 
How  she  cried  in  her  soul  that  he  might  spare 
her  as  that  eye  was  searching  out  the  secrets, 
and  laying  bare  things  just  as  they  were.  How 
could  she  dare  let  him  go  further?  So  she 
ventures  a  word  to  turn  him  from  the  privacy 
of  her  soul  to  the  general  customs  of  her  re¬ 
ligion,  saying,  “Our  fathers  worshipped  in 
this  mountain ;  and  ye  say,  that  in  J erusalem  is 
the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship.” 

But,  woman,  you  have  spoken  again  to  your 
confusion.  This  is  no  ordinary  Jew,  nor  even  a 
Jewish  prophet  with  whom  you  are  speaking. 
You  understand  far  better  than  you  wish  to 
admit  by  the  manner  of  your  speaking.  Your 
passing  remark  that  either  Jew  or  Samaritan 
is  wrong  as  each  is  insistent  upon  his  own  pe¬ 
culiar  place  of  worship  as  the  only  right  and 
proper  place  is  to  cover  you  with  greater  con¬ 
fusion  because  of  your  subtle  pretensions  to 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  149 

conceal  the  fact  that  you  have  recognized  the 
truth.  Did  you  hope  to  sidetrack  this  teacher 
— to  divert  him  from  the  matter  in  hand  by 
raising  a  question  concerning  the  customs  of 
these  peoples  who  had  been  antagonistic 
from  remote  times?  Listen!  the  Teacher  takes 
up  the  remark. 

“Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh, 
when  neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  in  Jerusa¬ 
lem  shall  ye  worship  the  Father.  Ye  wor¬ 
ship  that  which  ye  know  not:  we  worship  that 
which  we  know;  for  salvation  is  from  the 
Jews.” 

This  Teacher  has  started  out  in  a  way  alto¬ 
gether  new — the  place  of  worship  of  the  Fa¬ 
ther  would  not  be  either  in  Mt.  Gerizan,  or 
in  Jerusalem.  In  this  statement  alone  he  is  a 
strange  teacher  for  he  has  now  swung  back 
into  line  with  the  strictest  of  Jews:  “Ye  wor¬ 
ship  that  which  ye  know  not:  we  worship  that 
which  we  know;  for  salvation  is  from  the 
Jews.”  Has  the  expectation  of  the  Samaritan 
woman  been  met  by  the  Jew?  Have  we 
reached  the  despair  of  the  Gentile  in  this 
Teacher  also?  But  he  has  not  made  an  end 
of  speaking  yet.  Let  us  hear. 

“But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the 
true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in 


150  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

spirit  and  truth:  for  such  doth  the  Father  seek 
to  be  his  worshippers.  God  is  a  Spirit:  and 
they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him  in 
spirit  and  truth.  It  cannot  be  otherwise.  It 
is  a  matter  of  the  heart,  woman,  and  not  of 
either  ‘this  mountain,’  or  Jerusalem.” 

Is  she  saying  in  the  holy  of  holies  of  her 
soul,  “Yea,  he  is  hitting  straight  at  me  again — 
I  have  had  five  husbands,  and  the  man  with 
whom  I  am  living  at  present  is  not  my  hus¬ 
band.  The  heart  must  be  true  if  the  spirit  is 
to  worship  the  Father.  So  here  the  well  of 
water  springs  up  unto  eternal  life.  But,  oh! 
my  heart - ” 

Why  didn’t  she  tear  herself  away  from  him? 
He  was  reading  her  life  and  she  was  reading 
out  of  the  same  book.  She  must  stand  and 
leave  him  read. 

It  is  so — she  forgets  all  about  filling  her 
water-jar,  and  is  led  to  ask  question  after 
question  to  her  own  confusion.  He  has  gone 
to  the  seat  of  her  sinful  life,  and  now  launch¬ 
ing  out  into  the  deep  of  spiritual  mysteries 
he  is  telling  her  what  is  essential  to  be  a  true 
worshipper.  It  all  resolves  itself  into  what 
he  told  Nicodemus — “Ye  must  be  born 
anew.”  This  woman  knows  that  it  all  comes 
to  what  her  heart  is.  Will  she  ask  a  needless 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  15 1 

question?  or  will  she  ask  a  question  to  verify 
what  she  already  is  convinced  to  be  true? 

“I  know  that  Messiah  cometh  (he  that  is 
called  Christ)  :  when  he  is  come,  he  will  de¬ 
clare  unto  us  all  things.” 

This  declarative  question  is  a  feeler  of  the 
way.  Somehow  she  wishes  to  have  her  con¬ 
viction  reinforced  by  words  direct  from  the 
Teacher.  Hardly  daring  to  put  a  question  for 
a  matter  so  plain  she  hopes  that  a  suggestion 
or  hint  will  suffice. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  “I  that  speak  unto  thee 
am  he.” 

Upon  this  came  his  disciples  and  they  mar¬ 
veled  that  he  was  speaking  with  the  woman; 
yet  no  man  said,  What  seekest  thou?  or,  Why 
speakest  thou  with  her?  So  the  woman  left 
her  water-pot,  and  went  away  into  the  city, 
and  saith  to  the  people,  “Come,  see  a  man,  who 
told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did:  can  this  be 
the  Christ?” 

How  is  Jesus  regarding  this  conversation 
with  the  woman?  His  disciples  urge  him  to 
eat,  for  the  journey  has  been  long  and  trying. 
But  he  saith  unto  them,  “I  have  meat  to  eat 
that  ye  know  not.” 

The  disciples  are  standing  together  in 


152 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


couples  with  their  heads  together  quietly  dis¬ 
cussing  the  matter,  saying,  “Hath  any  man 
brought  him  aught  to  eat?”  Has  Simon  Peter 
offered  him  bread  and  invited  him  to  eat  in 
behalf  of  the  other  disciples  who  were  mar¬ 
veling  at  the  strange  conduct  of  the  Teacher? 
But  Simon  is  not  to  be  lightly  refused.  He 
must  prevail  upon  the  Teacher  till  the  Mas¬ 
ter  must  explain  that  he  has  meat  to  suf¬ 
fice  already.  Simon  is  silenced  and  the  dis¬ 
ciples  are  perplexed  beyond  measure.  The 
Master  answers  their  perplexities,  saying: 

“My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me,  and  to  accomplish  his  work.  Say  not  ye, 
There  are  yet  four  months,  and  then  cometh 
the  harvest?  behold,  I  say  unto  you,  lift  up 
your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields,  that  they  are 
white  already  unto  harvest.  He  that  reapeth 
receiveth  wages,  and  gathereth  fruit  unto  eter¬ 
nal  life;  that  he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reap¬ 
eth  may  rejoice  together.  For  herein  is  the 
saying  true,  One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth. 
I  sent  you  to  reap  that  whereon  ye  have  not 
labored:  others  have  labored,  and  ye  are  en¬ 
tered  into  their  labor.” 

As  he  caused  the  woman  to  find  her  soul  by 
referring  to  the  well  of  water  from  which  she 
had  come  to  draw,  so  he  was  helping  the  dis- 


Hozv  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  153 

ciples  to  find  the  soul  of  their  work  from  the 
loaf  of  bread  they  had  offered  him  to  eat. 

Thereupon  the  Samaritans  came  out  of  the  - 
city  and  besought  him  to  abide  with  them,  and 
he  abode  there  two  days.  This  is  the  voice  of 
the  many  who  believed  as  they  addressed  the 
woman,  saying, 

“Now  we  believe,  not  because  of  thy  speak¬ 
ing  :  for  we  have  heard  for  ourselves,  and  know 
that  this  is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the  world.” 

Is  Simon  Peter  whispering  into  the  ear  of 
Andrew,  saying,  “This  is  the  last  place  in  the 
world  one  would  expect  to  hear  anything  like 
this,  is  it  not?” 

“Verily  it  is  so,  Simon,  and  there  are  no 
Pharisees  to  hear  it  either,”  suggests  Andrew. 

“Well,  I  don’t  quite  understand  the  Master 
these  last  few  days,”  gasped  Simon. 

Were  they  standing  too  near  that  woman 
who  was  puzzled  over  the  fact  of  the  invasion 
of  the  privacy  of  her  life?  , 

“Men,  why  question  ye  concerning  this 
Teacher?  He  told  me  all  that  I  ever  did. 
When  I  asked  for  that  living  water,  he  told 
me  that  the  worship  of  God  depends  alone 
upon  a  true  heart;  yea,  that  God  and  immor¬ 
tality  of  the  spirit  are  inseparable — out  of  the 
true  heart  a  well  of  water  springeth  up  unto 


154 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


life  eternal  because  God  is  a  Spirit.” 

The  golden  thread  running  through  the 
dialogue  of  the  Teacher  with  this  lone  Samar¬ 
itan  woman  as  well  as  that  with  the  disciples 
upon  their  arrival  from  the  city  at  the  well  is 
that  the  whole  purpose  of  God  consists  of  life. 
His  works  are  eternal  because  He  himself  is 
eternal.  As  we  are  sharers  in  his  work  with 
reference  to  his  eternal  purpose  and  plan,  we 
are  partakers  with  him  of  eternal  life.  To  do 
His  will  and  achieve  with  him  is  to  become 
like  him — sharing  his  nature  and  life.  He 
who  said,  “My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him 
that  sent  me,  and  to  accomplish  his  work,” 
said  this  also,  “I  and  my  Father  are  one,”  and 
the  same  authority  declared,  saying,  “For 
whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  who 
is  in  heaven,  he  is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and 
mother.”  His  kinsman  are  they  who  achieve 
with  him  in  the  eternal  purpose  and  plan  of 
the  Father.  Why?  “I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the 
branches:  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in 
him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit.”  Then 
how  natural  is  his  earnest  prayer  to  the  Father, 
“That  they  may  all  be  one;  even  as  thou, 
Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  in  us.” 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  155 

“Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst;  but  the  water 
that  I  shall  give  him  shall  become  in  him  a 
well  of  water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life.” 
Another  way  of  saying  that  the  activities  and 
processes  of  life  shall  not  be  arrested  at  the 
grave,  but  rather  the  limitations  being  thrown 
off  shall  achieve  in  the  unbounded  freedom  of 
the  Father. 

The  Sinful  W oman  Forgiven 

If  we  have  no  direct  evidence  that  Nicode- 
mus  became  an  out  and  out  disciple  of  the 
great  Teacher,  and  have  no  direct  language 
from  the  Samaritan  woman  that  she  ever  re¬ 
ceived  the  living  water,  we  have  without  read¬ 
ing  between  the  lines  the  example  of  a  woman 
who  was  a  sinner  experiencing  the  forgive¬ 
ness  of  sins.  Here  is  the  master  miracle  per¬ 
formed  and  yet  men  regard  it  so  little.  It 
takes  men  so  very  long  to  find  out  that  achieve¬ 
ment  in  the  excellence  of  character  is  the  chief 
end  and  goal  of  life.  This  grand  product  is 
drawn  out  of  the  promiscuous  mixture  of  life 
in  its  alloy  by  the  magic  power  of  love.  Men 
are  constantly  mistaking  the  alloy  for  the  gen¬ 
uine  currency  and  consequently  love  is  smoth- 


1 56  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

ered  out  by  what  is  cheap  and  gross.  Jesus 
has  made  the  line  distinct  so  that  there  need 
be  no  mistake  provided  one  wishes  to  find  out 
what  is  enduring  that  undue  importance  be 
not  attached  to  that  which  is  passing.  The 
greed  of  the  Rich  Fool  covers  him  with  confu¬ 
sion  and  death — “So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treas¬ 
ure  for  himself,  and  is  not  rich  toward  God.” 

Loving  service  is  the  radiant  glow  of  eter¬ 
nal  life  while  self-indulgence  and  greed  dark¬ 
ens  in  the  sombre  gray  of  death.  The  acts 
and  teachings  of  Jesus  were  golden  shafts  of 
the  light  of  eternal  life.  In  Him  love  bursts 
forth  into  life  everlasting.  It  is  a  well-spring 
producing  eternal  life  in  others,  and  others  in 
turn  are  the  lovers  to  renew  the  life  in  the 
soul  that  loves,  and  so  it  is  ever  perpetually  re¬ 
newing  itself  in  vigor,  energy,  and  fullness  in 
the  completion  of  life — eternity  is  needed  for 
the  maturing  of  the  fruitage  of  love.  It  is 
completed  unselfishness  that  loses  and  finds 
itself  in  the  abundant  life. 

Personal  immortality  is  the  highest  idea  of 
unselfishness — we  would  live  forever  that  we 
might  live  for  others,  that  life  might  have  its 
full  fruitage.  Blessed  are  those  who  “love 
much.”  Is  this  not  the  heart  of  God?  “God 
so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  be- 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  157 

gotten  Son.”  Because  He  loved  God  lost 
himself.  His  loving  life  rescued  the  prey  out 
of  the  jaws  of  death  and  in  its  glow  “brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light.”  So  the  acts  and 
teachings  of  Jesus  can  be  explained  in  no  other 
way  than  love  working  out  eternal  life. 

Did  I  hear  a  citizen  of  Capernaum  say, 
“Who  can  but  love  the  prophet  of  Nazareth? 
Why,  he’s  doing  good  and  helping  men  every¬ 
where.” 

“Yes,”  exclaims  a  Pharisee,  “he’s  a  likely 
person  but  then  he  is  not  careful  enough  how 
he  goes  around  with  sinners.” 

Now  Simon  the  Pharisee  steps  up,  and  with 
an  intensive  gesture  says,  “That’s  all  very  true 
- — he’s  not  careful  how  he  touches  sinners,  but 
I  like  him.” 

Well,  Jesus  gets  an  invitation  to  the  home  of 
Simon  the  Pharisee,  and  as  they  are  sitting  at 
meat  a  woman  of  the  city,  who  is  a  sinner, 
comes  in  and  standing  behind  at  his  feet, 
weeping,  began  to  wet  his  feet  with  her  tears, 
and  wipe  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head,  and 
she  kissed  his  feet,  and  she  broke  over  them 
the  alabaster  cruse  of  ointment  which  she 
had  brought  with  her  and  anointed  them. 

A  dark  frown  broods  over  the  brow  of 


i58 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


Simon  as  he  looks  upon  this  thing.  He  is  say¬ 
ing  within  himself,  “This  man,  if  he  were  a 
prophet,  would  have  perceived  who  and  what 
manner  of  woman  this  is  that  toucheth  him, 
that  she  is  a  sinner.” 

Was  Simon  not  aware  of  the  conduct  of  the 
Teacher  before  he  bade  him  to  his  house,  to 
share  the  hospitality  of  his  board?  Or  has  he 
felt  his  hospitality  outraged  by  the  conduct  of 
the  Teacher  as  he  sat  at  his  table?  Even  the 
feelings  at  times  suppress  and  hide  and  strive 
to  conceal  the  real  motives  mid  the  shadows  of 
subtle  pretensions  of  generosity. 

But  Jesus,  answering  these  dark  question¬ 
ings  going  forward  within  the  soul  of  Simon, 
said  unto  him,  “Simon,  I  have  somewhat  to 
say  unto  thee.” 

Now  Simon  is  at  the  supreme  effort  of  sub¬ 
tle  devising  to  conceal — he  is  at  the  end  of 
his  string.  He  must  make  it  appear  that  noth¬ 
ing  extraordinary  has  taken  place  within  him¬ 
self,  and  that  he  is  ready  to  learn  in  eagerness 
what  the  Teacher  has  to  say.  He  requests 
him  to  proceed. 

“Teacher,  say  on.” 

“A  certain  man  had  two  debtors:  the  one 
owed  him  five  hundred  shillings,  and  the  other 
fifty.  When  they  had  not  wherewith  to  pay, 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  159 

he  forgave  them  both.  Which  of  them  there¬ 
fore  will  love  him  most?” 

Simon  is  now  creeping  within  himself,  but 
there  is  but  one  respectable  thing  to  do  and 
that  is  to  answer  him — and  to  answer  him 
properly  as  common  sense  would  instruct. 
Yet  he  is  a  trifle  reluctant  after  he  had  begun 
to  make  answer. 

“He,  I  suppose  to  whom  he  forgave  most.” 

The  Teacher  is  full  of  self-possession  and 
his  is  the  opportunity  to  drive  home  the  truth. 
He  will  rip  off  the  bark  that  the  palpitating 
heart  of  the  Pharisee  might  be  laid  bare  and 
exposed.  Fixing  the  searching  eye  intently 
upon  the  eye  of  Simon  he  said,  “Thou  hast 
rightly  judged.” 

Turning  to  the  woman  the  great  Teacher 
said  unto  the  Pharisee — 

“Here  is  the  application  of  the  parable. 
Seest  thou  this  woman?  I  entered  into  thy 
house,  thou  gavest  me  no  water  for  my  feet: 
but  she  has  wetted  my  feet  with  her  tears,  and 
wiped  them  with  her  hair.  Thou  gavest  me 
no  kiss :  but  she,  since  the  time  I  came  in,  hath 
not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  My  head  with  oil 
thou  didst  not  anoint:  but  she  hath  anointed 
my  feet  with  ointment.  Wherefore  I  say 
unto  thee,  Her  sins  which  are  many,  are  for- 


i6o  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

given;  for  she  loved  much:  but  to  whom  little 
is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little.” 

He  is  turning  his  eye  from  Simon  as  he  is 
uttering  this  last  phrase  in  which  he  points 
out  Simon  as  the  other  debtor  that  loves  little. 
In  his  rebuke  he  is  saying  to  the  Pharisee, 
Thy  frown  bars  thee  ever  from  sharing  the 
blessedness  this  woman  shares  this  day. 

Now  his  concern  is  the  woman  as  he  looks 
with  deep  compassion  upon  her,  saying,  “Thy 
sins  are  forgiven.” 

This  is  but  to  intensify  the  feelings  of  dis¬ 
approval  that  is  rankling  in  the  hearts  of  those 
who  sat  at  meat.  Hard  knots  are  filling  the 
throats  and  they  are  beginning  to  say  within 
themselves,  ‘‘How  far  will  this  man  go?” 
“Who  is  this  that  even  forgiveth  sins?” 

But  the  hands  of  Jesus  are  lifted  in  bene¬ 
diction  as  he  is  saying  unto  the  despised  wo¬ 
man,  “Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee;  go  in  peace.” 

He  performed  no  physical  miracle  of  heal¬ 
ing  upon  this  woman,  and  this  woman  had  not 
come  for  such.  Jesus  tells  us  why  she  came 
and  anointed  his  feet,  “For  she  loved  much.” 
She  loved  the  good  and  pure,  but  how  prone 
she  was  to  do  the  evil.  She  was  chained  about, 
helpless.  She  would  do  better  but  evil  was 
present  with  her  and  so  powerful.  She  saw 


How  He  Found  Faith  in  the  Earth  1 6 1 

how  wonderful  kind  and  good  this  prophet 
was.  She  was  convinced  that  he  could  lift 
her  burden,  relieve  her  of  sin  and  strengthen 
her  to  begin  life  all  anew.  She  could  not  tell 
him  what  was  wrong  in  her  life  and  how  much 
she  loved  the  good  and  the  pure,  and  how  she 
longed  for  his  help  and  assistance.  She  can 
do  better  than  telling — she  can  act  it  all  out. 
So  it  comes  to  pass  as  has  been  related  simply 
because  love  burns  through  the  dross  of  sin, 
unites  the  heart  with  God,  and  buds  into 
life  eternal.  We  hear  the  Master  say,  “Thy 
faith  hath  saved  thee;  go  in  peace.” 


IV 

HOW  HE  ENTERED  THE  SHADOW 

OF  THE  CROSS 


THE  BREAK  WITH  THE  PHARISEES 


PHARISEE,  why  cast  an  eye  of  suspicion 
upon  the  work  and  life  of  the  Nazarene? 
Do  you  regard  it  as  not  genuine  that  you  con¬ 
stantly  impute  to  him  perverted,  dark  motives 
as  prompting  all  his  gracious  works?  You 
say  this  Man  works  through  the  Prince  of 
devils — Beelzebub.  You  say  he  is  not  of  God 
or  he  would  not  dare  work  on  the  Sabbath. 
What  gracious  act  of  loving  service  can  pro¬ 
fane  the  Sabbath?  You  violently  charge  him 
with  blasphemy  because  he  declares  his  right 
to  so  work,  “My  Father  worketh  hitherto  and 
I  work.”  The  Lord  has  put  the  matter  up  to 
you,  “Ye  hypocrites,  doth  not  each  one  of  you 
on  the  Sabbath  loose  his  ox  or  his  ass  from 
the  stall,  and  lead  him  away  to  watering? 
And  ought  not  this  woman,  being  a  daughter 
of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  had  bound,  lo,  these 
eighteen  years,  to  have  been  loosed  from  this 
bond  on  the  day  of  the  Sabbath?”  The  sub¬ 
lime  truth,  “The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man 
and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath.”  The  Christ 

165 


1 66 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


made  this  truth  living  and  concrete  in  his  life 
so  that  all  might  see  it  and  profit  by  it.  “The 
Son  of  man  is  lord  even  of  the  Sabbath.” 
Pharisee,  why  charge  this  Man  with  profan¬ 
ing  the  Sabbath  who  finds  it  at  the  very  root 
of  human  need?  You  strain  your  treacherous 
eye  to  entrap  him.  Can  you  find  anything 
save  your  own  dark  charges?  Is  not  the  mul¬ 
titude  seeking  him  even  in  desert  places?  The 
people  would  make  him  king.  They  are  de¬ 
serting  you  on  every  side.  Strict  religious 
formalists — slaves  of  a  hopelessly  compli¬ 
cated  tradition,  you  know  that  this  man  is  at 
the  heart  of  life  and  you  are  losing  ground  day 
by  day.  You  see  him  among  the  urgent  needs 
of  men.  How  these  needs  cry  out  to  him? 
H  ow  busy  he  is  ministering!  He  is  sought 
on  every  side.  Ah,  your  mad  jealousy  is  ris¬ 
ing  as  you  see  these  things.  You  question 
among  yourselves  how  you  can  make  away 
with  him.  Hear  the  warning  the  Master 
gives  concerning  you : 

“Do  not  ye  after  their  works;  for  they  say, 
and  do  not.  For  they  bind  heavy  burdens  and 
grievous  to  be  borne,  and  they  lay  them  on 
men’s  shoulders;  but  they  themselves  will  not 
move  them  with  one  of  their  fingers.”  The 
great  Teacher  has  placed  the  charge  at  your 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  167 

door.  This  is  why  men  forsake  you  and  seek 
His  new  teaching  of  authority.  Yours  is  arti¬ 
ficial  ground  while  His  is  truth — the  ground  in 
which  life  has  sent  down  and  fixed  its  roots. 
You  have  nothing  to  wage  your  warfare  with 
save  treachery  and  jealousy.  So  you  say 
there  are  dark  motives  at  the  seat  of  all  this 
grand  achievement  of  this  humble  man.  So 
you  plot  underhand,  secret,  and  devilish 
methods  for  seizing  him  and  making  way  with 
him.  Brazen  boldness!  crush  rather  than  let 
the  superior  live.  The  Master  warns  against 
your  secret  leaven  which  gathers  all  the  filth 
and  dregs  from  hidden,  dark,  poisonous, 
deadly  sources — “Take  heed  and  beware  of 
the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees.”  Your  sin  stalks 
into  his  most  sacred  and  forbidden  courts. 
You  have  your  religion  on  parade  and  your 
aim  is  to  impress  the  people  with  the  spectacu¬ 
lar  and  show  them  how  much  better  you  are 
than  they.  “Woe  unto  you  scribes  and  Phari¬ 
sees,  hypocrites!  for  ye  devour  widows’  houses 
and  for  a  pretence  make  long  prayers:  there¬ 
fore  ye  shall  receive  greater  damnation.”  You 
despise  the  publican,  and  shun  with  horror 
and  revolting  disdain  the  wretched  harlot. 
Hear  the  Man  of  Nazareth  speak:  “Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  that  the  publicans  and  the  har- 


1 68 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


lots  go  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  before  you.” 
You  do  your  works  to  be  seen  of  men — make 
broad  your  phylacteries;  love  the  uppermost 
rooms  at  the  feasts  and  chiefest  seats  in  the 
synagogues;  love  to  be  greeted  in  the  market¬ 
places  and  be  called  by  all  men  “Rabbi,  Rabbi ; 
yes,  your  very  prayers  are  made  to  be  seen  of 
men,  for  you  stand  in  the  conspicuous  places 
of  the  market  and  even  thank  God  in  a  very 
distinct  voice  that  you  are  not  like  other  men. 

Reserve  must  give  when  tension  is  too  great 
and  the  time  has  fully  come.  Terrible  facts 
must  stare  mortals  in  the  face  with  all  their 
ghastliness.  Scathing  condemnation  and  bit¬ 
ing  rebuke  from  the  lips  of  the  Nazarene  who 
everywhere  spoke  loving  words  of  hope  and 
good  cheer.  “Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye  cleanse  the  out¬ 
side  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter,  but  within 
they  are  full  from  extortion  and  excess.”  He 
dares  repeat  the  charge — “Woe  unto  you, 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye  are 
like  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which  outwardly 
appear  beautiful,  but  inwardly  are  full  of  dead 
men’s  bones,  and  all  uncleanness.  Even  so  ye 
also  appear  righteous  unto  men,  but  inwardly 
ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity.”  And 
this  also,  “Ye  serpents,  ye  offspring  of  vipers, 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  169 
how  shall  ye  escape  the  judgment  of  hell.” 

The  Great  Confession 

Jesus  goes  up  and  down  the  land  faithfully 
teaching  and  living  the  love  of  God.  His 
pathway  glows  with  service.  The  people 
come  to  him  from  every  quarter.  The  multi¬ 
tudes  throng  him  daily.  They  attempt  to 
make  him  their  king.  He  hides  himself  from 
their  greed  and  perverted  desires. 

But  the  Pharisees  are  acting  out  an  entirely 
different  drama  They  are  moved  against  him 
with  ceremonial  prejudice  because  he  permits 
his  disciples  to  eat  with  “unwashen  hands,” 
with  religious  bigotry  and  pride  because  “He 
is  the  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners,”  with 
jealousy  and  envy  because  “all  men  hang  on 
him  listening.”  Therefore  they  seek  to  kill 
him.  They  are  planning  that  they  might  take 
him  secretly  because  they  fear  the  people.  He 
goes  up  out  of  the  borders  of  Israel  into  the 
parts  of  Caesarea  Philippi. 

Here  in  this  alien  region  he  asks  his  disci¬ 
ples,  saying,  “Who  do  men  say  I  am?”  After 
listening  to  several  opinions  the  disciples  had 
caught  from  the  people  he  asked  them,  “But 
who  say  ye  that  I  am?”  Peter  is  now  the 


170  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

spokesman.  “Thou  art  the  Christ.”  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  “Blessed  art 
thou,  Simon  Bar-Jonah:  for  flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father 
who  is  in  heaven.” 

“From  that  time  began  Jesus  to  show  unto 
his  disciples  that  he  must  go  unto  Jerusalem, 
and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and  chief 
priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed.”  The  rec¬ 
ords  state,  “He  spake  the  saying  openly.”  It 
is  as  though  he  said: 

“My  disciples,  you  share  the  popular  no¬ 
tion  of  making  me  a  king.  Have  I  lived  so 
long  a  time  with  you  serving  the  lone  worsted 
outcasts  in  the  by-ways  and  hedges  and  yet 
you  share  with  the  people  the  gross  perverted 
ideas.  All  who  follow  in  the  paths  in  which 
I  am  serving  men  shall  bear  the  image  of 
kings.  I  am  carrying  out  that  image  day  by 
day.  I  am  establishing  the  kingdom  in  your 
midst.  You  call  it  losing  but  in  this  seeming 
defeat  I  am  achieving  nobler  and  grander  than 
ever  earth  has  witnessed.  “The  Son  of  man 
must  suffer  many  things,  and  be  rejected  of 
the  elders  and  the  chief  priests,  and  be  killed, 
and  after  three  days  rise  again.” 

Peter  at  once  begins  to  rebuke  him,  saying, 
“Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord:  this  .shall  never  be 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  17 1 

done  unto  thee.”  Jesus  had  vanquished  this 
same  Tempter  before  in  the  Wilderness  of 
Temptation.  How  subtle  the  cunning — he 
comes  in  the  garb  of  a  disciple  seeking  to  be¬ 
friend  his  Master.  But  Jesus  knows  the  sub¬ 
tle  Tempter  and  strips  him  of  all  his  guile. 
He  turns  and  says  unto  Peter,  “Get  thee  be¬ 
hind  me,  Satan:  thou  art  a  stumbling-block 
unto  me;  for  thou  mindest  not  the  things  of 
God,  but  the  things  of  men.”  It  is  as  though 
he  said : 

“Must  I  too  follow  the  multitudes  down  the 
broad  way  of  death?  Or  should  as  many  as 
it  is  given  follow  me  into  the  narrow  way  of 
life  through  the  straight  gate?  Be  it  far  from 
me  to  go  the  way  of  ease.  I  am  drinking  the 
bitter  cup  and  I  must  drain  it  to  the  bitter 
dregs.  This  is  the  way  of  God.  This  is  ful¬ 
filling  his  purpose,  hence  my  mission,  “My 
meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me,  and 
to  finish  his  work.” 

Thus  Jesus  enters  the  shadow  of  the  cross 
and  the  disciples  follow  him,  though  they  un¬ 
derstood  him  not,  as  he  faces  about  to  go  to 
Jerusalem  from  Caesarea  Philippi.  Jesus  is 
undisturbed,  but  the  chosen  few  are  full  of 
dark  apprehensions.  They  are  as  helpless 
fledglings.  They  hear  the  flutter  of  wings 


172 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


mid  the  darkness,  but  they  can  not  tell  whether 
they  be  the  wings  of  mother  bird  or  of  some 
alien  bird  of  prey.  They  stay  close  to  the 
Master  as  these  dark  shadows  of  growing  ap¬ 
prehensions  are  falling  all  about  them.  He 
takes  three  of  them  to  the  mountain  that  they 
might  get  a  glimpse  of  the  likeness  of  his  resur¬ 
rection. 


The  Transfiguration 

After  six  days  Jesus  taketh  Peter,  James  and 
John,  and  bringeth  them  into  a  high  moun¬ 
tain  apart.  Yes,  he  takes  the  chosen  three 
with  him  apart  from  the  rest  even  of  the  disci¬ 
ples.  He  had  been  wont  to  frequent  the 
mountain  retreat  alone  for  prayer  but  this 
time  he  wished  to  have  the  select  three  with 
him.  As  he  prays  his  face  shines  as  the  sun, 
and  his  garments  become  white  as  the  light. 
“And  behold,  there  appeared  unto  them 
Moses  and  Elijah  talking  with  him.”  The 
disciples  are  filled  with  the  ecstasy  of  joy.  In 
the  thrill  of  their  ecstatic  condition  Peter  be¬ 
comes  the  spokesman,  saying,  “Lord,  it  is  good 
for  us  to  be  here!”  As  one  beside  himself  be¬ 
cause  of  the  exuberance  of  joy  he  suggested, 
“If  thou  wilt,  I  will  make  here  three  taber- 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  17 3 

nacles;  one  for  thee,  one  for  Moses,  and  one 
for  Elijah.”  Luke  says:  “Now,  Peter  and 
they  that  were  with  him  were  heavy  with 
sleep :  but  when  they  were  fully  awake,  they 
saw  his  glory,  and  the  two  men  that  stood  with 
him.”  Overawed  by  the  marvelous  vision 
Peter  made  the  suggestion  of  the  three  taber¬ 
nacles,  “not  knowing  what  he  said.”  But 
even  as  Peter  is  speaking  the  heavenly  visitors 
are  parting  from  the  Man  of  Nazareth.  And 
ere  that  disciple  had  made  an  end  of  speaking, 
“There  came  a  cloud  and  overshadowed  them : 
and  they  feared  as  they  entered  into  the  cloud. 
And  a  voice  came  out  of  the  cloud,  saying, 
“This  is  my  Son,  my  chosen:  hear  ye  Him.” 
The  disciples  fall  on  their  faces,  and  are  sore 
afraid.  Jesus  comes  and  touches  them,  say¬ 
ing,  “Arise,  and  be  not  afraid.”  Lifting  up 
their  eyes  they  saw  no  one  save  the  lone  Man 
of  Nazareth  whom  they  had  seen  so  often  com¬ 
ing  from  his  mountain  retreat  of  prayer  and 
entering  the  thronging  multitudes  to  teach. 
But  they  will  never  forget  the  vision  which 
this  Man  of  Nazareth  permitted  them  to  be¬ 
hold  of  him  as  he  was  in  prayer.  He  did  con¬ 
stantly  behold  the  heavenly  but  “their  eyes 
were  holden.” 

The  disciples  got  a  glimpse  of  the  inner  life 


174  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

of  Jesus,  and  it  is  this  that  caused  his  path  to 
glow  radiant  with  service.  A  glimpse  of  the 
pure  white  Christ  and  a  glimpse  of  his  way 
is  exceeding  strange  to  earthly  eyes.  The 
heavenly  coincides  with  the  highest  good  that 
abounds  in  earth.  His  way  is  heavenward 
and  homeward — the  way  of  the  highest  good. 
So  as  he  comes  down  from  the  mountain  Jesus 
commanded  them,  saying,  “Tell  the  vision  to 
no  man,  until  the  Son  of  man  be  risen  from 
the  dead.  The  disciples  were  confused  and 
perplexed,  “And  they  kept  the  saying,  ques¬ 
tioning  among  themselves  what  the  rising 
again  from  the  dead  should  mean.”  To  con¬ 
ceal  their  perplexity  they  would  ask  him  about 
the  coming  of  Elijah,  for  somehow  they  be¬ 
lieved  that  his  reference  to  the  “rising  from 
the  dead”  had  to  do  with  the  completion  of 
his  work  as  Messiah.  Death  is  suggestive  of 
suffering  preceding.  He  told  them  all  about 
that  before  he  caused  them  to  see  this  vision. 
Now  after  this  vision  he  is  telling  them  that 
the  Son  of  man  must  rise  from  the  dead.  They 
must  hold  the  secret  till  then.  They  must 
have  some  recourse,  for  Peter  was  rebuked 
when  he  undertook  to  assure  him  that  no  suf¬ 
fering  could  overtake  him  like  unto  that  which 
he  referred  to  while  at  Caesarea  Philippi.  So 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  175 

they  suggest,  “How  is  it  that  the  scribes  say 
that  Elijah  must  first  come?”  With  but  few 
words  he  convinces  them  that  Elijah  indeed 
has  come  in  the  person  of  John  the  Baptist. 
But  now  they  are  come  to  the  multitude  and 
here  things  are  different. 

The  Epileptic 

From  the  silence  of  the  mountain  of  this 
heavenly  vision  they  move  down  into  the  val¬ 
ley  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  into  the  noise 
and  the  tumult  of  an  excited  multitude.  There 
comes  a  man  to  him,  kneeling  before  him,  say¬ 
ing,  “Lord,  have  mercy  on  my  son:  for  he  is 
an  epileptic,  and  suffereth  grievously;  for  oft- 
times  he  falleth  into  the  fire  and  oft-times  into 
the  water.”  The  epileptic  is  frothing  and 
foaming  before  the  disciples  who  remained  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain.  These  disciples  are 
at  their  wits’  end  as  they  have  tried  every  way 
to  relieve  the  suffering  epileptic.  The  father 
has  looked  with  great  anxiety  which  turns  to 
suspicion  as  their  efforts  prove  vain  and  of  no 
effect.  Now  that  father  is  pleading  with  the 
Master,  saying,  “I  brought  him  to  thy  disci¬ 
ples,  and  they  could  not  cure  him.”  The 
Master  is  prompt  to  answer  this  heart  cry — 


176 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


“Bring  hither  thy  son.”  As  he  is  coming  the 
demon  dashed  him  down  and  tare  him  griev¬ 
ously.  As  he  fell  on  the  ground  and  wal¬ 
lowed  foaming  even  Jesus  seemed  perplexed, 
and  asked  his  father,  “How  long  time  is  it 
since  this  hath  come  unto  him?”  as  though  the 
duration  of  the  sickness  would  limit  the  power 
even  of  Jesus.  The  distracted  father,  believ¬ 
ing  himself  up  against  it  here  at  the  last  resort, 
declares,  “From  a  child.”  He  then  describes 
anew  the  terrible  condition  of  his  boy  and  ends 
by  saying,  “But  if  thou  canst  do  anything,  have 
compassion  on  us,  and  help  us.”  There  is  a 
grave  look  on  the  face  of  the  Master  as  he 
gazes  into  the  face  of  that  father,  saying,  “  Tf 
thou  canst!’ — even  this  kind  fills  the  tombs  of 
the  earth.  Heaven  knows  no  such.  ‘All 
things  are  possible  to  him  that  believeth.’  ” 
The  distracted  father  braces  up  under  the 
stinging  rebuke  so  gently  turned  back  upon 
him  by  this  man  who  had  been  in  prayer  in  the 
mountain,  and  cries  out  of  the  stress  of  his  soul, 
“I  believe,  help  thou  mine  unbelief.”  The 
Master,  seeing  the  multitude  running  to¬ 
gether,  rebuked  the  unclean  spirit,  saying  unto 
him,  “Thou  dumb  and  deaf  spirit,  I  command 
thee,  come  out  of  him,  and  enter  no  more  into 
him.”  And  having  cried  out,  and  torn  him 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  177 

much,  he  came  out:  and  the  boy  became  as 
dead.”  The  multitudes  are  always  ready  with 
an  opinion.  Most  of  them  shout  aloud — “He 
is  dead.”  But  Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  raised  him  up,  and  gave  him  back  to  his 
father.  “And  they  were  all  astonished  at  the 
majesty  of  God.” 

Now  the  baffled  disciples  who  had  re¬ 
mained  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  came  to 
Jesus  apart,  and  said,  “Why  could  we  not  cast 
it  out?”  And  he  said  unto  them,  “This  kind 
can  come  out  by  nothing,  save  by  prayer.” 

?r- 

The  Entrance  of  the  King 

As  morning  dews  upon  the  tender  blade  so 
are  the  prayers  of  Christ  upon  the  soul.  In 
silence  they  collect.  Have  you  touched  the 
blade  mid  the  fevered  heat  of  day?  It  is  ten¬ 
der,  yes,  very  much  so.  Yet  it  has  not  the 
sparkle  of  dew  upon  it.  The  sun  is  lowering; 
the  twilight  is  gathering;  the  light  is  fading 
mid  myriads  of  glimmerings;  the  darkness  is 
falling  all  about.  Touch  the  blade,  and  it 
has  the  gentle  moisture  of  the  dews  upon  it. 
Even  in  the  pale  light  of  the  moon  the  grass 
is  greening  mid  freshness  of  dews.  Were  it 
not  for  the  night  where  would  we  find  the  gen- 


178  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

tie  dews  that  sparkle  beneath  the  radiance  of 
the  morning  sun,  and  wear  a  freshness  in  the 
tender  life  till  close  of  day  when  dews  again 
freshen  the  larger  forms  in  which  life  has 
shaped  in  spreading  growth? 

How  often  in  silence  did  Christ  wait  and 
gather  the  sweetness  of  heaven  to  his  soul.  The 
gentle  dew-drops  of  refreshing  hope  and  love 
came  about  his  life  we  know  not  where  and 
how.  Yes,  he  stood  forth  as  a  living  witness 
of  the  freshness  of  this  power  day  by  day. 
But  at  no  time  were  they  sweeter  than  when 
his  earthly  sun  began  to  creep  slowly  down 
upon  the  horizon,  and  when  the  twilight  of 
that  great  earthly  life  was  gathering  fast,  yes, 
when  the  light  of  popular  flattery  and  favor 
were  fading  even  from  the  common  people, 
when  the  darkness  of  the  cross  and  Calvary 
and,  the  grave  was  heavily  vailing  all — ah, 
then  the  dews  were  gathering,  the  immaculate, 
the  consummate  sweetness  of  that  great  rich 
life  in  one  tenderness  of  love  and  meekness; 
yes,  suffering  showed  the  goodliest  vein  of  all, 
and  death  could  not  eclipse  that  life  but  only 
made  it  possible  for  the  gentle  and  refresh¬ 
ing  sparkle  beneath  the  radiance  of  the  heav¬ 
enly  sun  of  the  resurrection  morning.  Where 
have  richer  dews  collected?  What  has  ex- 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  179 

celled  the  hope  in  the  resurrected  Christ  and 
forever  the  living  Redeemer?  Ah,  is  the 
blade  withered?  See  how  the  dews  unfold  it. 
Is  the  heart  sunken  and  destitute?  See  how 
the  resurrected  and  living  Christ  can  make  it 
alive,  rejuvenescent  in  an  expanding  hope. 

Again  were  it  not  for  the  night  how  could 
we  have  such  splendid  dews  collecting?  Even 
in  such  nights  mid  the  darkness  brothers  have 
plunged  their  swords  to  the  very  hilts  into  the 
breasts  of  their  very  best  friends — even  those 
who  meant  them  nothing  but  well.  Did  they 
not  so  with  Christ,  the  ablest  and  best  friend 
man  ever  had?  Yet  of  these  same  nights  came 
the  pure  dews  of  sacred  love.  Here  the  very 
bosom  of  the  Father  is  uncovered  and  unre¬ 
strained  love  leaps  forth  to  wrest  the  bloody 
knife  from  the  hands  of  cruel  men — even  the 
knife  they  are  plunging  each  into  the  heart  of 
his  fellow;  yes,  this  very  knife  God  in  Christ 
directs  into  his  own  heart  and  pours  out  his 
blood  in  profusion  as  a  testimony  unto  them 
— even  as  a  witness  that  mad  man  would 
plunge  the  gory  knife  into  the  breast  of  his 
very  best  friend  in  the  blackest  night  of  his 
insane,  unwarrantable  passion. 

The  life  of  Christ  passed  through  the  nooks 
of  silence,  the  only  way  Heaven  has  to 


180  The  Silent  Nazarene 

speak.  Such  alone  is  consistent  with  Heaven’s 
nature.  Did  not  the  Still  Small  Voice  so 
whisper  in  the  soul?  Did  not  that  voice  echo 
in  the  same  consistency  the  revelation  of  the 
great  God  that  spoke  through  all  the  nooks 
of  human  experience  till  Christ  himself  came 
to  speak  of  it  with  authority?  Not  by  lifting 
it  out  of  this  relation  but  by  placing  it  more 
truly  in  its  natural  relation,  and  interpreting 
it  more  plainly  there.  In  other  words  he 
showed  men  how  God  meant  them  to  live. 
Everything  material  must  subserve  this  pur¬ 
pose.  Christ  quietly  lived  this  before  men; 
yes,  he  lived  it  as  he  knew  it  from  God.  In 
life  he  finds  its  setting.  In  life  he  makes  it 
speak.  The  life  of  man  and  God  he  made  to 
blend.  Then  how  plainly  the  voice  of  God  is 
brought  to  man.  Man  hears  it  for  himself. 
It  is  the  Father’s  voice  to  the  children  making 
it  clear  to  them  that  they  belong  to  him  in 
the  higher  order  and  therefore  should  not  be 
slaves  to  the  lower  order;  that  is,  he  is  down 
with  and  among  them  to  show  them  the  way 
out — and  not  merely  to  show  them,  but  to  lead 
them — to  go  with  them  the  whole  distance — 
and  further  not  merely  to  lead  them  but  to 
deliver  them — to  lift  them  up  into  his  bosom 
where  they  might  breathe  and  live  in  him. 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  1 8 1 
He  saves  them. 

This  is  what  Jesus  lived  and  taught  each 
day  in  spite  of  the  people  misinterpreting 
him.  His  life  was  spent  each  day  seemingly 
lost  in  misinterpretation,  and  even  willful  mis¬ 
representation.  The  dews  collect  at  night¬ 
fall  as  Christ  gathers  in  prayer  within  the 
silent  covering  of  the  darkness  the  reinvigorat¬ 
ing  power  for  the  duties  and  trials  of  the  en¬ 
suing  day.  He  knows  that  he  is  right  and  the 
clamoring  multitudes  are  erring  and  deceived. 
They  would  make  him  king  by  force. 

The  disciples  found  a  colt  tied  at  the  door 
without  in  the  open  street;  and  they  loose  him, 
and  bring  him  to  Jesus,  and  cast  upon  him 
their  garments;  and  he  sat  upon  him.  Meek 
and  lowly  this  king  of  the  hearts  of  men  rides 
upon  an  ass.  A  great  multitude  that  had  come 
to  the  feast,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus  was 
coming  to  Jerusalem,  took  the  branches  of  the 
palm  trees  and  went  forth  to  meet  him.  And 
most  part  of  the  multitude  spread  their  gar¬ 
ments  in  the  way;  and  others  cut  branches 
from  the  trees  and  spread  them  in  the  way. 
And  they  that  went  before  and  they  that  fol¬ 
lowed,  cried,  “Hosanna;  Blessed  is  he  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord:  Blessed  is 
the  kingdom  that  cometh,  the  kingdom  of  our 


182 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


father  David :  Hosanna  in  the  highest.”  Even 
the  whole  multitude  of  the  disciples  began  to 
rejoice  and  praise  God  with  a  loud  voice  for 
all  the  mighty  works  which  they  had  seen; 
saying,  “Blessed  is  the  king  that  cometh  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord:  peace  in  heaven  and  glory 
in  the  highest.”  The  Pharisees  rave  within 
themselves  and  some  of  them  from  out  the 
multitude  call  unto  him,  “Teacher,  rebuke 
thy  disciples.”  But  the  Master  holds  the  key 
of  power.  He  will  answer  his  enemies 
directly.  “I  tell  you  that,  if  these  should  hold 
their  peace,  the  stones  will  cry  out.”  It  is  as 
though  he  said —  “Things  are  right  where  cre¬ 
ation  must  speak.  If  its  creatures  and  spokes¬ 
men  do  not  testify  to  the  truth,  the  very  stones 
will  cry  out.  Your  mad  jealousy  can  not  stop 
this  voice.  You  can  not  provoke  them  to  si¬ 
lence  longer.  They  must  cry  out  even  though 
they  understand  not  what  they  cry.  They  in¬ 
deed  hail  me  as  king  coming  into  my  capitol 
to  exalt  this  nation  above  the  ends  of  the  earth 
that  this  people  might  have  the  glory  of 
swaying  the  sceptre  over  men — that  men 
might  bend  their  necks  beneath  their  yoke.” 

As  the  multitude  and  the  disciples  were  un¬ 
stinting  in  their  praise  the  heart  of  this  great 
king  was  sad — even  mellow  with  pity  and 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  183 

compassion  as  he  drew  nigh  the  city  and  wept 
over  it,  saying,  “If  thou  hadst  known  in  this 
day,  even  thou,  the  things  which  belong  unto 
thy  peace!  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine 
eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee, 
when  thine  enemies  shall  cast  up  a  bank  about 
thee,  and  compass  thee  round  and  keep  thee 
in  on  every  side,  and  shall  dash  thee  to  the 
ground,  and  thy  children  within  thee;  and 
they  shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon 
another;  because  thou  knowest  not  the  time  of 
thy  visitation.” 

The  Great  Consolation 

The  eve  of  the  passover  is  come.  The  lit¬ 
tle  group  is  gathered  in  the  upper  chamber. 
They  saw  that  unusual  sorrow  marked  the 
brow  of  the  Master.  The  Master  sees  their 
hearts  overstrained  with  anxiety.  They  were 
looking  for  things  in  an  entirely  different  di¬ 
rection  in  spite  of  his  teaching  and  life  which 
had  been  wholly  consistent.  His  conduct 
and  actions  are  exceedingly  strange  to  them. 
He,  conscious  of  his  oneness  with  God,  lay 
aside  his  outer  garment,  girds  himself  with  a 
towel  and  begins  to  wash  his  disciples’  feet. 
Peter’s  protest  is  vehement,  and  can  you  won- 


184 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


der.  Why  John  the  Baptist  declared  that  he 
himself  was  unworthy  to  stoop  down  and  un¬ 
latch  this  man’s  shoes.  Now  this  very  man  is 
washing  the  disciple’s  feet.  He  did  this  not 
to  raise  a  sensation  in  his  favor.  He  knew  that 
he  had  all  authority  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 
Why  then  should  he  need  a  sensation?  Then 
why  perform  this  lowly  service — even  the 
work  of  a  slave? 

The  peerless  Master  will  speak  for  himself. 
“You  call  me  Master  and  Lord:  and  you  say 
well;  for  so  I  am.  If  I,  then,  your  Lord  and 
Master,  have  washed  your  feet;  you  ought  to 
wash  one  another’s  feet.  Have  I  ever  strained 
an  effort  to  impress  you  with  my  importance? 
Have  I  ever  assumed  any  strained  relation  to 
impress  you  with  my  lordly  dignity?  Have 
I  ever  cut  myself  off  from  you  to  cast  a  strange, 
bewildering,  mystic  cloud  about  you?  Are 
these  ideas  not  dominating  the  earth,  men 
striving  to  lord  it  over  their  fellows?  Royalty 
has  used  them  to  domineer  and  enslave  the 
subjects;  religious  impostors  have  used  them 
to  wing  their  fame.  “But  I  am  among  you 
as  he  that  serveth.”  I  and  my  Father  are  one. 
He  showeth  me  all  things  that  He  himself 
doeth.  Therefore  I  always  do  what  things  I 
have  seen  him  do.  You  have  seen  me  wash 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  185 

your  feet.  I  see  the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Father 
doing  as  humble  service  in  the  midst  of  this 
broken  humanity.  I  am  his  Son.  It  is  my 
joy  to  do  his  work;  yes,  it  is  my  meat  to  do 
the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his 
work.  You  know  him  as  your  God.  You 
reverence  and  worship  him.  Lo,  He  is  in 
your  midst  as  he  that  serveth.”  The  words 
that  he  spake  were  so  different  from  those 
they  were  accustomed  to  hear  from  the  lips  of 
the  scribes  of  the  Pharisees,  their  teachers, 
that  they  sounded  strange  in  their  ears.  The 
Master  understood  it  all  and  set  about  to  com¬ 
fort  their  hearts,  saying, 

“I  see  your  hearts  are  troubled.  You  can 
not  understand  me.  You  have  fixed  your 
mind  too  steadily  upon  my  mortal  body.  You 
have  been  willing  to  concentrate  and  stake 
your  all  upon  this  visible  manifestation.  That 
is  the  reason  you  can  not  understand  the  way, 
Thomas.  And  for  the  very  same  reason  you 
can  not  see  the  Father,  Philip.  Yes,  you  do 
not  see  Me.  I  would  make  this  truth  plain  to 
you,  but  sorrow  hath  filled  your  hearts.  You 
are  sadly  disappointed.  You  are  at  the  brink 
of  believing  all  is  lost.  The  very  fact  that 
my  body  is  here,  that  I  am  in  the  flesh,  would 
help  you  understand  if  you  would  lift  up  your 


1 86 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


eyes  and  see  Me.  Indeed  my  body  must  be 
broken  and  taken  away  that  you  may  under¬ 
stand.  Then  the  Comforter  which  you  can 
not  see  now  will  bring  all  things  to  your  re¬ 
membrance.  ‘He  will  teach  you  all  things.’ 
He  dwelleth  with  you  even  in  your  midst  at 
this  present  hour.  Your  minds  must  be  lifted 
out  of  the  earthly  by  removing  the  earthly, 
even  my  mortal  form.  When  this  is  come  to 
pass  you  will  see  the  great  Spirit  of  God  min¬ 
istering  in  lowly  service  even  as  you  have  seen 
me  do  in  the  body.  This  Teacher  and  Guide 
will  never  leave  you  but  will  educate  you  into 
life  eternal.  Those  born  of  God  know  not 
how — but  they  know  that  they  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life. 

“Surely  I  have  lived,  acted,  and  told  you 
that  such  is  the  nature  of  God.  I  simply  ask 
you  if  you  would  be  my  disciples  to  learn  of 
me  and  go  and  do  likewise.  All  this  I  have 
spoken  about  has  no  artificial  undergirding. 
It  is  no  make-believe  fountain  head.  By  gen¬ 
uinely  loving  one  another  is  the  only  way  to 
find  the  seat  of  life — the  pure  spring  out  of 
which  gushes  the  infinite  love  of  God  which  is 
eternal  life.  If  you  love  me,  keep  my  com¬ 
mandments.  They  will  do  you  good.  They 
will  bring  you  into  life. 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  187 

“Now  you  are  troubled,  perplexed  and 
overstrained.  If  you  obey  my  voice  and  do 
as  I  have  done  then  it  will  be  well  with  you. 
For  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you — even  a 
place  in  my  Father’s  house,  yes,  among  the 
mansions  of  my  Father.  I  will  come  again 
and  receive  you  unto  myself  that  where  I  am 
there  you  may  be  also.  But  make  good  the 
time  left  you.  Know  that  you  are  perfectly 
safe  and  secure  in  God,  and  that  you  shall  so 
be  in  eternity,  only  you  shall  then  better  know 
it,  and  all  life  shall  be  given  in  larger  meas¬ 
ures.  Grow  as  though  the  evil  about  you  were 
not,  for  it  shall  not  come  nigh  you,  for  you 
have  put  your  trust  in  me.  No  harm  shall 
befall  you,  for  the  Lord  shall  be  your  secret 
pavilion  and  dwelling-place  forever.  He 
shall  hide  you  beneath  His  wings,  and  shall 
keep  you  secure,  though  troublers  are  many 
on  every  side.  He  will  feed  you  with  his  own 
life.  He  has  sent  me  to  tell  you  just  such 
things  as  these.  Let  not  your  heart  be  trou¬ 
bled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid. 

“You  are  just  on  the  brink  of  eternity.  If 
your  eyes  could  see  you  would  be  surprised  to 
know  how  near  your  Father’s  house  you  are. 
You  think  you  are  far  away.  This  is  a  delu¬ 
sion,  a  deception.  How  many  sons  returning 


1 8  8 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


home  mid  midnight  darkness  have  been  be¬ 
wildered,  lost,  even  at  the  father’s  door.  If 
they  could  see,  their  confusion  would  not  be 
at  all.  Now  you  can  not  see.  You  are  dis¬ 
turbed,  confused.  Yet  you  believe  in  me. 
You  have  reposed  confidence  in  me  even  up  to 
this  hour.  I  tell  you  the  truth.  You  are  very 
near  the  Father’s  house  where  there  are  many 
mansions.  You  must  lay  aside  your  mortal 
body  just  as  I  laid  aside  my  garment  at  the 
supper  to  wash  your  feet,  and  ye  are  there. 
Even  now  in  this  life  you  must  regard  the 
body  as  dead,  as  a  garment  laid  aside,  that  the 
spiritual  activities  may  have  greater  freedom 
to  achieve,  and  that  you  may  lose  yourselves 
in  lowly  paths  of  service.  Herein  is  my  Fa¬ 
ther  glorified  that  you  bear  much  fruit.  The 
glory  of  my  Father  is  exceedingly  bright  in 
the  mansions  above.  His  glory  there  differs 
in  no  way  from  his  glory  here — that  you  bear 
much  fruit — except  in  larger  measures.  When 
you  have  laid  aside  the  mortal  all  these  things 
will  be  plain.  Where  I  am  there  you  will  be 
also.  Have  faith  in  God  and  see.” 

The  Passover 

Fast  falls  the  eventide,  the  darkness  deep- 


i 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  189 

ens,  and  Christ  is  with  his  little  flock  in  the 
upper  chamber.  It  is  a  lingering  of  the  great 
soul  of  Christ  over  the  few  anxious,  suspect¬ 
ing  souls  who  had  their  all  wrapt  up  in  him. 
They  knew  their  Master  held  the  secret  but 
were  confused  as  to  the  meaning  he  wished  to 
convey  to  them.  His  words  seem  plain  but 
they  were  not  so  to  them  before  all  that  terrible 
suffering  and  death.  They  were  entering  the 
dark  heavy  cloud  that  was,  to  shroud  all  in  the 
black  night  of  disappointment.  Christ  saw 
this  anxiety  resting  upon  them  and  their  hearts 
in  great  uneasiness.  It  is  like  when  the  storm 
is  brewing  and  the  beasts  of  the  field  huddle 
and  tremble  with  fear.  A  mournful  unquiet¬ 
ness  pervades  everything.  In  the  impending 
storm  we  get  a  glimpse  of  what  Jesus  saw  and 
knew  even  while  the  spiritual  darkness  preg¬ 
nant  with  apprehension  falls  about  the  dis¬ 
quieted  disciples,  threatening  to  separate  them 
sharply  from  their  Master.  Wells  of  sym¬ 
pathy  opened  in  his  great  soul,  and  irresistable 
streams  went  forth  charged  with  love  and  af¬ 
fection  and  emptied  themselves  into  the 
gloom-pressed  hearts  of  the  disappointed,  per¬ 
plexed  and  sorrowing  disciples.  A  solemn  si¬ 
lence  reigns.  Jesus  knows  there  is  but  one 
way  to  save  the  situation — to  inspire  faith  and 


190 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


hope.  The  earthly  undergirding  truly  must 
be  cut  asunder.  Rather  the  earthly  scaffold¬ 
ing  must  be  torn  away,  else  all  would  stop  with 
the  earthly,  the  visible — all  would  be  swal¬ 
lowed  up  in  mortality.  He  has  come  to  recon¬ 
cile  them  to  God,  to  make  them  one  with  the 
Father  even  as  he  is  one  with  the  Father — to 
make  known  to  them  that  they  are  sons  of 
immortality. 

He  sought  to  make  this  all  plain  to  them 
that  evening.  But  they  had  been  cradled  in 
other  ideas.  They  were  accustomed  to  think 
otherwise.  It  were  as  though  all  circum¬ 
stances  were  conspiring  together,  smiting 
them  with  blindness  so  that  they  knew  not 
whither  to  turn.  What  if  they  could  have 
been  unrobed  of  mortality  that  evening?  But 
God  had  another  and  better  way,  though  they 
could  not  hear  their  Lord.  (Have  not  words 
that  were  plain  afterwards  puzzled  and  be¬ 
wildered  the  best  of  us  before  an  impending 
calamity?)  It  was  a  steady  growth  through 
mortality  and  a  sure  climb  into  immortality 
where  each  step  is  fixed  with  a  clearer  and 
larger  vision.  So  the  Master  told  them,  say¬ 
ing, 

“What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now;  but  thou 
shalt  understand  hereafter.  Do  not  mistake 


How  He  Entered  the  Shadow  of  the  Cross  19 1 

the  primer  for  the  final  reader.  Is  it  not  but 
the  threshold  to  the  world  of  knowledge? 
The  promise  is  ever — Thou  shalt  understand 
hereafter.” 

But  now  the  hour  is  come,  and  he  is  sat 
down  with  the  disciples.  He  had  sought 
every  available  way  to  make  it  all  plain  to 
them.  As  he  looks  upon  the  passover  meal 
spread  before  them  there  is  a  suggestion  that 
there  remains  a  possible  way  of  showing  unto 
them  the  great  truth  that  is  so  baffling  to  them. 
At  this  he  said  unto  them,  “With  desire  I  have 
desired  to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before 
I  suffer:  for  I  say  unto  you,  I  shall  not  eat  it, 
until  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God.” 
How  was  he  to  eat  and  not  eat  the  passover 
with  them  at  that  hour?  (Perplexing  para¬ 
dox  to  disrobe  the  truth  of  words  by  words 
that  it  might  stand  out  naked  and  plain.) 

So  the  Evangelist  Luke  writes:  “And  he 
took  bread,  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he 
brake  it,  and  gave  to  them,  saying,  ‘This  is  my 
body  which  is  given  for  you:  this  do  in  re¬ 
membrance  of  me.  And  the  cup  in  like  man¬ 
ner  after  supper,  saying,  ‘This  cup  is  the  new 
covenant  in  my  blood,  even  that  which  is 
poured  out  for  you.’  ” 

So  he  spake  on  that  side  of  the  cross  but 


192 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


they  understood  him  not.  Even  at  this  solemn 
hour,  after  all  the  teaching  and  example, 
“there  arose  also  a  contention  among  them, 
which  of  them  was  accounted  to  be  the  great¬ 
est.”  The  Master  speaks  sadly  rebuking, 
warning  and  pleading,  saying,  “Simon,  Simon, 
behold,  Satan  asked  to  have  you,  that  he  might 
sift  you  as  wheat:  but  I  made  supplication  for 
thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not;  and  do  thou,  when 
once  thou  hast  turned  again,  establish  thy 
brethren.” 

All  this  came  to  pass  before  he  entered 
Gethsemane. 


HOW  HE  TOOK  UP  HIS  CROSS 


GETHSEMANE 


THE  Man  of  sorrows  acquainted  with  bit¬ 
ter  griefs  is  in  the  midst  of  the  group  of 
perplexed  disciples  passing  through  the  streets 
of  the  city,  which  are  muffled  in  the  thick  si¬ 
lence  of  midnight.  They  cross  over  the  brook 
Kidron,  “where  was  a  garden,  into  which  he 
entered  himself  and  his  discipes.”  When  he 
comes  unto  a  place  that  is  called  Gethsemane, 
he  saith  unto  his  disciples,  “Sit  ye  here,  while 
I  go  yonder  and  pray.” 

The  silence  will  not  permit  a  leaf  to  rustle. 
The  very  brook  itself  muffles  its  murmurs. 
The  wild  beasts  too  seem  to  know  it  is  time 
to  be  quiet — there  is  not  a  howl  or  scream  to 
be  heard.  Creation  could  well  afford  to  stop 
its  clamor  and  plunge  itself  in  one  deep  silent 
pause  this  awful  hour — this  blackest  hour 
when  the  fierce  madness  and  fury  of  men  born 
of  envy  and  jealousy  is  striving  to  crush  the 
stainless  Man  who  is  suffering  with  and  for 
man.  Yet  was  not  the  mellow  dawn  born  out 
of  the  womb  of  the  first  great  morning  for 

195 


196 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


man?  The  hour  is  darkest  just  before  the 
breaking  streaks  of  light  stretch  out  of  the 
eastern  sky  and  point  to  the  position  of  the 
mid-day  sun.  Has  the  grim  darkness  settled 
upon  man’s  black  night  of  misery  and  strug¬ 
gle?  Is  the  foulest  treachery  of  man  to  be 
played  upon  the  best  friend  man  ever  had? 
What  miserable  contradictions  in  our  night 
of  sombre  madness? 

H  ow  did  Jesus  see  this?  Let  his  conduct, 
actions  and  prayers  speak  for  him.  What  a 
battle  is  on  hand!  How  dare  Creation 
breathe!  He  taketh  Peter,  James  and  John 
and  went  apart  and  began  to  be  sorrowful  and 
sore  troubled.  These  three  disciples  ought 
best  to  understand  him,  for  how  oft  did  he 
take  them  apart  alone  with  him  ere  this?  He 
saith  unto  them,  “My  soul  is  exceeding  sor¬ 
rowful,  even  unto  death:  abide  ye  here,  and 
watch  with  me.”  He  is  parted  from  them  a 
stone’s  cast.  He  kneels  and  prays,  saying, 
“Abba,  Father,  all  things  are  possible  unto 
thee,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  away 
from  me!”  Heaven  and  earth  turn  in  breath¬ 
less  silence  to  this  garden — even  to  this  spot 
where  the  Man  of  sorrow  is  wrestling  in  an 
agony  as  he  prays  more  earnestly  and  his  sweat 
becomes  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  197 

to  the  ground.  An  awful  pause!  Earth  is 
ascending;  heaven  is  bending:  wills  are  blend¬ 
ing — “Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou 
wilt.”  “And  there  appeared  unto  him  an 
angel  from  heaven  strengthening  him.”  Re¬ 
demption  is  wrought;  man  is  lifted  into  the 
life  of  God  without  a  stain.  He  has  acquired 
dominion  in  and  over  the  earth.  The  will  of 
God  is  being  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 
Things  are  shaped  about  in  harmony  with 
the  design  of  creation.  This  is  the  sinless 
man,  the  peerless  conqueror  who  lived  sanely 
in  the  earth,  achieved  and  wrought  even  as  the 
Father  willed. 

He  comes  to  the  three  who  were  to  watch 
with  him  and  finds  them  sleeping  for  sorrow, 
and  he  saith  unto  Peter,  “What,  could  ye  not 
watch  with  me  one  hour?”  They  are  in  a 
semi-conscious  condition — a  stupor  bearing 
down  heavy  upon  them.  He  warns  them, 
saying,  “Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not 
into  temptation:  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing, 
but  the  flesh  is  weak.”  Again  a  second  time 
he  goes  and  prays  saying,  “My  Father,  if  this 
cannot  pass  away,  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will 
be  done.”  He  came  again  and  found  his  dis¬ 
ciples  sleeping,  “for  their  eyes  were  heavy.” 
He  left  them  and  went  away,  and  prayed  a 


198 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


third  time  using  the  same  words  again.  His 
single  aim  is — the  will  of  the  Father.  All 
else  is  subordinate.  He  comes  unto  the  disci¬ 
ples  and  saith  unto  them,  “Sleep  on  now,  and 
take  your  rest:  behold  the  hour  is  at  hand,  and 
the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of 
sinners.” 

His  reserve  had  the  strength  of  the  lion 
without  its  beastliness;  and  his  entire  spirit 
had  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  the  lamb 
without  its  dumbness.  He  stood  at  the  centre 
of  power.  This  Man  of  Gethsemane’s  dark 
hour  is  the  peerless  champion  of  the  race. 
He  is  the  lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah;  and  the 
scepter  shall  never  depart  out  of  his  hand: 
he  is  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world,  and  over  him  sin  shall  never 
have  dominion,  as  the  holiness  of  his  nature 
shall  utterly  consume  it  before  his  face.  He 
draws  his  breath  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and 
the  breath  of  his  lips  slay  the  wicked. 

The  heel  of  the  traitor  is  on  the  sacred  spot. 
Jesus  must  arouse  the  disciples  out  of  their 
sorrowing  stupor.  “Arise,  let  us  be  going:  be¬ 
hold,  he  is  at  hand  that  betrayeth  me.” 


i99 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross 

The  Betrayal 

The  midnight  darkness!  Majestic  sweet¬ 
ness  rests  upon  the  Saviour’s  brow.  He  re¬ 
signs  all  into  the  Father’s  hands — to  be  done 
after  God’s  way  regardless  of  the  cost  in¬ 
volved.  His  single  aim  is  the  will  of  God  be 
done.  Carve  it  out  of  the  rough  facts  of  earth, 
by  giving  his  life  to  engrave  the  Father’s  im¬ 
age  and  likeness  therein.  His  meat  was  to 
carry  God’s  will  out  to  entire  completion. 
The  dews  of  innocence  gather  upon  the  mild¬ 
ness  and  meekness  of  his  spirit  mid  the  silence. 
He  comes  from  prayer  and  calls  to  his  disci¬ 
ples,  saying,  “Arise,  let  us  be  going:  behold, 
he  is  at  hand  that  betrayeth  me.”  It  is  as 
though  he  were  saying,  “Come,  let  us  be  going 
lest  he  betray  me  even  upon  this  most  sacred 
spot.  He  knows  well  where  I  pray.” 

It  is  so.  Judas  is  on  the  very  spot  Christ 
counts  most  sacred  and  dear.  He  is  at  the 
head  of  a  band  armed  with  swords  and  staves, 
from  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of  the  people. 
Mid  the  thick  darkness  he  comes  to  Jesus,  and 
says,  “Hail,  Rabbi”;  and  kissed  him.  And 
the  Master  says  unto  him,  “Judas,  betrayest 
thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss?  Do  that 
for  which  thou  art  come.”  At  this  the  band 


200 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


of  soldiers,  and  officers  from  the  chief  priests 
and  the  Pharisees,  come  with  lanterns  and 
torches  and  weapons — even  lining  up  before 
him  and  his  disciples.  Jesus  stands  forth  be¬ 
tween  the  disciples  and  the  soldier  band,  say¬ 
ing,  “Whom  seek  ye?”  They  answer  him, 
“Jesus  of  Nazareth.”  Jesus  says  to  them,  “I 
am  he.”  As  he  said  it  they  went  backward 
and  fell  to  the  ground.  Again,  therefore,  he 
asks  them,  “Whom  seek  ye?”  And  they  re¬ 
ply,  “Jesus  of  Nazareth.”  Jesus  answers,  “I 
told  you  that  I  am  he;  if  therefore  ye  seek  me, 
let  these  go  their  way:  that  the  word  might  be 
fulfilled  which  he  spake,  “Of  those  whom  thou 
hast  given  me  I  lost  not  one.” 

Then  they  come  and  lay  hands  on  Jesus,  and 
took  him.  When  the  soldiers  were  about  to 
lead  him  away  they  that  were  with  him  said. 
“Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword?”  Even 
before  the  question  was  finished  Simon  Peter 
having  a  sword,  drew  it,  and  struck  the  high 
priest’s  servant,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear. 
Jesus  answers  and  says,  “Suffer  ye  them  thus 
far.  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  its  place: 
for  all  they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish 
with  the  sword.”  Then  touching  the  ear 
heals  the  high  priest’s  servant,  and  turning  and 
looking  upon  Peter  says,  “Thinkest  thou  that 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  201 

I  cannot  beseech  my  Father,  and  he  shall  even 
now  send  me  more  than  twelve  legions  of  an¬ 
gels?”  Then  as  though  he  would  make  plain 
to  the  disciple  who  was  so  ready  to  defend 
him  by  sheer  force  why  he  assumed  this  atti¬ 
tude  so  strange  to  humankind  he  says,  “The 
cup  which  the  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I 
not  drink  it?  How  then  should  the  scripture 
be  fulfilled,  that  thus  it  must  be?” 

The  disciples  shrink  back  as  the  soldiers 
gather  more  closely  about  him,  and  Jesus  says 
unto  the  chief  priests,  and  captains  of  the  tem¬ 
ple,  and  elders,  that  were  come  against  him, 
“Are  ye  come  out  as  against  a  robber  with 
swords  and  staves  to  seize  me?  I  sat  daily  in 
the  temple  teaching,  and  ye  took  me  not.” 

What  an  hour!  The  thick  darkness;  the 
traitor’s  kiss;  the  armed  soldiers  taking  a 
.meek,  unarmed  man  who  meant  nobody  hurt 
but  who  meant  everybody  well,  and  whose  life 
was  made  up  of  actions,  deeds  and  words  that 
flowed  rich  with  love  and  helpfulness  to  all 
men. 

There  is  a  certain  young  man  lying  abed 
a-dreaming.  He  hears  a  tumult  in  the  street. 
He  rushes  to  the  window  to  stare  upon  a  whis¬ 
pering  mob.  Yes,  they  are  coming  from  the 
sacred  garden  where  his  Master  is  wont  to 


202 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


pray.  He  seizes  a  piece  of  linen  cloth  and 
throws  it  about  his  naked  body,  and  rushes  out 
into  the  night  of  the  street.  He  follows  the 
sneaking  crowd  that  seems  to  hunt  the  very 
sides  of  the  walls  for  the  cover  even  of  their 
shadows  in  the  dim  light  of  the  lanterns.  He 
follows  but  does  not  permit  himself  to  be 
seen.  Foes,  friends  and  the  Christ — all  there, 
but  the  impulsive  Peter  follows  afar  off.  The 
young  man  with  the  linen  cloth  about  his  body 
has  not  learned  the  caution  of  even  the  impul¬ 
sive  Peter  and  loses  track  of  himself  in  the  ex¬ 
citement  of  the  hour.  He  so  completely  for¬ 
gets  himself  that  he  edges  his  way  into  that 
very  mob.  Some  of  the  young  men  of  the 
crowd  seeing  that  he  is  none  of  theirs  lay  hold 
on  his  linen.  This  brings  him  to  a  sense  of  his 
peril.  He  leaves  the  linen  cloth  in  the  hands 
of  the  cruel  men  who  were  leading  away  his 
Lord,  and  fled  naked. 

This  band — the  tool  of  the  chief  priests  and 
Pharisees  with  Judas  at  its  head!  Why  staves 
and  weapons  to  capture  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  if 
capture  it  could  be  called  (it  was  rather  a 
taking)  ?  How  it  pierced  through  his  true 
and  loving  soul.  “Are  ye  come  out,  as 
against  a  robber,  with  swords  and  staves? 
When  I  was  daily  with  you  in  the  temple,  ye 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  203 

stretched  not  forth  your  hands  against  me: 
but  this  is  your  hour,  and  the  power  of  dark¬ 
ness.” 

By  his  silence  and  reserve  he  proves  his 
kingship  over  their  crass,  daring  might.  He 
rises  majestic  over  the  crude  display  of  force. 
He  raves  at  nothing.  He  is  free  from  the 
the  cramping  grip  of  jealousy.  He  is  envi¬ 
ous  of  no  man’s  prosperity  and  popularity. 
All  things  were  in  his  hand,  and  he  was  deeply 
conscious  of  his  power  even  when  he  placed 
himself  at  the  disposal  of  brute  force  and  be¬ 
came  a  prey  to  the  heartless  jealousy  of  vicious 
men.  Brute  force  thrusts  him  on.  Yet  how 
powerless  is  this  receding  physical  force  before 
the  persistent  spreading  love  of  Christ?  Even 
in  that  brief  season  of  his  passion,  when  all 
seemed  defeat,  he  proves  himself  supreme  at 
every  turn. 

Judas 

What!  a  disciple  of  Christ  to  join  a  murder 
band?  Why  should  that  dastardly  band 
choose  one  from  the  chosen  few  of  the  sacred 
bosom  of  Christ  to  plunge  the  hidden  dagger 
of  malignant  treachery  into  his  great  soul? 

“Judas,  didst  thou  hate  thy  Lord?  Was  it 
thy  whole  desire  to  see  him  murdered?  Why, 


204 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


cringing,  sneak  into  his  most  sacred  place  for 
prayer?  and  press  thy  deceitful  lips  upon  his 
cheek?” 

He  knew  well  the  spot  Christ  counted  most 
sacred  and  dear — yes,  he  who  betrayed  him, 
knew  the  place,  for  Jesus  oft-times  resorted 
thither  with  his  disciples — even  there  Judas 
dares  tread  and  betrays  his  Lord  for  thirty 
pieces  of  silver.  He  who  dipped  his  hand  in 
the  dish  with  his  Master  and  heard  his  Lord 
say,  “The  Son  of  man  goeth  even  as  it  is  writ¬ 
ten  of  him:  but  woe  unto  that  man  through 
whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed!  good  were 
it  for  that  man  if  he  had  not  been  born,”  now 
in  that  dark  solitary  garden  where  Christ  has 
agonized  till  his  sweat  became  as  it  were  great 
drops  of  blood  falling  to  the  ground,  comes 
stealthily  to  pierce  his  soul  through  with  the 
unkindest  cut  of  all — the  emblem  of  friend¬ 
ship — the  kiss,  but  “a  traitor’s  kiss.”  It  cut 
to  the  quick.  How  dare  it  be  used  in  foul 
mockery,  irreverence  and  treachery?  The 
rebuke  of  the  Master  is  mildly  given  as  the 
brazen  traitor  presses  the  deceitful  kiss  as 
Jesus  stands  in  his  sacred  place  of  prayer, 
“Judas,  betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a 
kiss?”  “Traitor,  how  durst  thou  use  this  em¬ 
blem  of  loving  friendship  in  violation  to  ev- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  205 

erything  sacred — outraging  honor?  Indeed, 
is  there  nothing  too  sacred  to  be  trampled  un¬ 
der  foot?” 

“Why  wait!  Expect  him  free  and  hold  thy 
blood  money  to  boot?  What  queer  inconsist¬ 
ency!  How  canst  thou  throw  thy  victim  into 
the  jaws  of  the  wild  beasts  and  expect  him  to 
escape?  Were  things  ever  done  after  this 
fashion?  Dost  thou  look  to  miraculous  in¬ 
tervention  to  deliver  him  that  thou  mightest 
enjoy  thy  blood  money?  Then  God  would 
need  intervene  in  behalf  of  mortals  tricked  for 
gold  at  all  times  to  ease  the  smarting  remorse 
of  thieves.  No,  thy  deed  is  done.  The  de¬ 
spair  and  anguish  of  thy  soul,  hot  with  raging 
passion,  must  send  forth  shrieks  and  screams 
like  the  bewildered,  starving,  solitary  hyena. 

See  that  traitor  rage  and  tear;  ah,  he  knows 
not  where  to  find  relief.  He  is  like  a  beast 
that  has  himself  full  of  deadly  poison  from 
the  pangs  of  which  he  can  in  nowise  find  re¬ 
lief.  He  must  roar,  rave  and  scream,  then  he 
must  lie  quiet  and  let  the  piercing  pains  sting 
him  to  the  very  death.  So  this  man  is  at  the 
point  of  exasperation — with  all  brute  pain  and 
all  soul  stress  at  a  breaking  tension. 

“Judas,  this  is  a  full  measure  of  interest  to 
pay  for  thy  thirty  pieces — yes,  sin  is  not  satis- 


20  6 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


fied  with  the  interest,  but  demands  the  princi¬ 
pal — all  without  reserve.  Rush  into  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  with  thy 
thirty  pieces  of  silver,  crazed  man.  Thou 
seest  that  thy  victim  is  sure  of  death  now.” 

Hear  that  wretched  creature  ejaculate  from 
out  the  smarting  remorse  of  his  overwrought 
and  crushed  soul.  What  dismal  refuse  is 
smothering  that  soul?  And  yet  in  the  last 
death  throes  he  must  lift  out  the  truth  that 
must  stare  all  ages  to  come  in  the  face — a  bare¬ 
faced  fact  which  no  falsehood  can  cover:  “I 
have  sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed  innocent 
blood.”  Ah,  what  comfort  and  consolation 
do  they  have  to  offer  him?  How  do  they  an¬ 
swer  him? 

“Judas,  didst  thou  think  thyself  a  good  fel¬ 
low  with  these  men?  Hast  thou  won  their 
favor  and  respect?  Ah,  they  throw  it  all  in 
your  teeth.  ‘What  is  that  to  us?  see  thou  to 
it.’  Judas,  thou  findest  neither  respect  nor 
sympathy  there.  They  have  used  thee  and 
that  is  all  they  want  with  thee.  The  blood 
money  is  thine  affair.” 

But  the  maddened  traitor  would  not  have  it 
so.  And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver 
into  the  sanctuary — even  before  the  religious 
murderers,  and  departs.  Then,  insane  with 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  207 

hot  despair  and  remorse,  he  rushes  out  and 
hangs  himself.  From  a  tree  over  a  steep  place 
falling  headlong,  he  burst  asunder  in  the 
midst,  and  all  his  bowels  gushed  out. 

The  disposal  of  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver 
he  has  put  up  to  the  religious  murderers.  The 
chief  priests  take  up  the  pieces  of  money,  and 
declare,  “It  is  not  lawful  to  put  them  into  the 
treasury,  since  it  is  the  price  of  blood.” 
Wretched,  deluded  mortals,  how  long  will  you 
besmirch  yourselves  with  gory  sin,  and  then 
strive  to  shift  it  from  your  heads  by  some  triv¬ 
ial  act?  They  take  counsel,  and  buy  with  the 
thirty  pieces  the  potter’s  field  into  which  the 
crushed  and  broken  form  of  the  traitor  has 
fallen,  to  bury  strangers  in,  and  there  the 
traitor  was  buried  also. 

Traitor,  thy  thirty  pieces  of  silver  only  pur¬ 
chased  thee  a  grave  for  thy  unsightly  form 
among  the  wandering  poorest  of  the  poor  of 
earth.  What  an  awful  price  to  pay  with  eyes 
blinded  with  the  lust  of  money.  So  must  sin 
pull  its  ruin  in  upon  itself;  and  the  lust  of 
money  must  make  its  own  hell  to  set  a  million 
hells  on  fire — to  blight,  wreck  and  consume 
a  world  prone  to  covetousness. 


208 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


The  Sanhedrin 

What  would  the  life  of  Christ  be  without 
the  silent  pauses — pauses  that  make  his  life  so 
consistent  and  plain  to  those  who  long  to  know 
the  way  of  life.  Such  grand  pauses  set  off 
each  sentence  of  his  great  life — make  each 
emphatic  and  pregnant  with  meaning.  Who 
could  read  that  life  without  them?  Truly 
they  are  written  in  terms  of  the  human  but 
their  meanings  extend  into  the  eternities. 
Yes,  they  dim  to  mortal  vision  as  they  further 
recede  into  the  limitless  and  endless  eternity. 
Then  that  which  is  dimmest  melts  into  the 
unseen,  and  is  lost  in  the  all-comprehensive 
only  to  be  found  as  the  eager  searcher  loses 
himself  in  the  quest.  He  is  in  the  way  of 
Christ  and  to  him  it  is  given  to  get  a  glimpse 
behind  the  veil  which  is  forbidden  to  the  im¬ 
pure  heart  and  unclean  eye.  These  silent 
pauses  mark  off  that  infinite  life  so  that  its 
simplicity  can  be  read  with  an  increasing  in¬ 
terest  as  the  liver  grows  deeper  into  the  secret 
depths.  Simple  but  profound  in  whatever 
place  it  touches  and  interprets.  It  is  the  sim¬ 
plest  of  the  simple,  and  yet  the  profoundest 
of  the  profound.  What  child  cannot  love  its 
simplicity?  What  sage  can  fathom  its  hot- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  209 

tomless  depths?  It  embraces  earth;  it  com¬ 
prehends  heaven.  It  speaks  the  language  of 
heaven  in  terms  of  that  of  earth.  It  blends 
earth  and  heaven  in  one  harmonious  whole — 
speaking  a  language  all  can  know  who  live 
simply  and  humbly.  This  is  the  life  of  the 
man  who  said:  “I  thank  thee,  Father,  Lord 
of  heaven  and  earth,  because  thou  hast  hid 
these  things  from  the  wise  and  the  prudent, 
and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes.” 

Lo,  see  that  quiet  isle  in  the  midst  of  that 
swift  rushing  stream.  The  turbulent  waters 
are  rushing  heedlessly  together  till  they  reach 
the  slope  of  the  isle,  then  they  foam,  divide 
and  swiftly  clamor  by  on  either  side.  Then 
the  noisy  waters  rush  into  one  another,  leaving 
a  misty  void  at  the  foot  of  the  isle  beneath  the 
struggle  of  the  wrestling  giants  as  they  inter¬ 
lock  their  forces  and  rush  on  heedless  as  be¬ 
fore.  The  quiet  isle  lifts  itself  in  majestic 
stillness  above  the  floodtide.  The  sunlight 
rests  upon  its  peaceful  bosom;  the  morning 
mists  arise  and  mingle  with  the  ever-present 
spray.  Still  mid  even’s  dews  the  spray  is 
there.  Undisturbed,  a  modest  plant  lifts  its 
head  above  the  surface  of  the  isle.  It  grows 
as  the  waters  surge  and  rage.  In  silence  un¬ 
broken  its  growth  reaches  a  more  perfect  ma- 


210 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


turity.  The  season  passes;  the  remnant  of 
the  fruit  is  gleaned ;  but  still  the  savage  waters 
clamor  and  wrestle. 

From  the  likeness  we  see  in  this  isle  we  catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  Christ. 

O  for  a  sight  into  the  life  divine , 

Which  Christ  did  live  majestic  here ; 

1  While  fretful  mortals  writhe  and  pine , 
Though  Christ  saw  naught  in  earth  to  fear. 

Yes,  for  a  sight  into  that  great  complacent  life 
— that  peaceful  and  undisturbed  life  that  rose 
sublimely  majestic  over  and  above  the  flood- 
tide  of  the  ages.  How  restfully  he  rises  out 
of  and  above  the  stormy  passions  of  men.  Yes, 
he  rises  stainless  out  of  that  floodtide  where 
the  God-blessed  law  of  human  subsistence  are 
changed  into  beastly  greed;  and  where  the 
God-sanctioned  laws  of  self-assertion  are 
transformed  into  cramping  jealousy,  and  bane¬ 
ful  envy;  where  the  evil  eye  rests  with  treach¬ 
ery  upon  the  good  successes  of  others.  How 
Christ  was  proof  against  all  this.  He  stood 
silently  elegant  while  these  were  clashing  and 
dashing  themselves  to  pieces  in  surf  and  foam. 
In  this  he  is  like  the  majestic  isle  that,  though 
it  is  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  fury,  is  proof 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  21 1 

against  the  floodtide.  He  rises  over  this  flood- 
tide  of  clashing  death  and  nourishes  in  his 
bosom  the  finest  product  Heaven  and  Earth 
could  give — the  beautiful  life  of  the  God- 
Man. 

Did  not  the  life  of  humanity,  freighted  with 
fears,  anxieties,  and  emulations,  rush  on  heed¬ 
less  in  boisterous  clamor  till  it  came  to  the 
visible  form  of  Christ,  an  isle  of  majestic 
quiet?  Here  these  plunging,  forging  forces 
find  the  mortal  in  reserve.  Something  strange 
is  in  this  mad  fight  that  is  on  so  hotly.  Here 
this  stream  is  arrested,  broken  in  foam  of  its 
own  confusion,  divided.  Then  it  madly  rushes 
on  as  heedless  as  before.  The  mortal  eye 
could  glance  no  further  than  the  form  of  the 
isle  that  arrested  its  mad  rush.  There  this 
stream  divides: — a  part  in  implacable  hatred 
and  malice: — a  part  clamoring  for  mortal 
honor  and  splendor;  yes,  the  Pharisee  jealous 
of  the  merits  of  Christ;  the  people  seeking  to 
make  him  their  king;  the  disciples  rushing  for 
the  chief  places  in  the  great  earthly  kingdom 
which  they  believe  is  about  to  be  set  up.  Not 
even  one  disciple  had  the  spirit  of  Christ; 
John,  the  beloved  not  excepted,  for  did  he  not 
ask  for  himself  the  very  chiefest  place?  They 
are  all  befogged  in  the  mists  of  their  own  con- 


212 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


fusion,  and  rush  about  the  quiet,  complacent 
Christ. 

Not  a  stir  of  emotion,  not  a  quiver  of  the 
lips,  the  Christ  in  deep  complacency  stands  be¬ 
fore  the  Sanhedrin.  The  popular  floods  surge 
high  about  him.  Now  they  are  dividing, 
rushing  by  heedless  of  the  majestic  Christ  they 
are  passing — a  part  flows  with  the  resistless 
current  of  Phariseeism, — while  a  part  lags  and 
flags  with  the  disappointed,  dejected  disciples. 
How  very  few  are  they  who  tarry  with  him; 
but  even  they  are  lost,  confused  in  what  they 
know  not.  The  great  complacent  Christ 
stands  majestic  there,  though  the  floods  are 
noisily  and  angrily  lashing  all  about.  The 
most  beautiful,  the  most  delicate  of  Heaven’s 
flowers  is  unfolding  in  that  quiet,  undisturbed 
bosom.  It  is  the  divine  life  that  is  calmly 
lifting  itself  in  silent  growth  from  the  rough¬ 
est  and  crudest  of  earth  into  the  finest  and  pur¬ 
est  of  heaven.  What  noble  fruitage  matures 
from  out  the  life  of  Christ  in  earth.  Ah,  it 
is  blending  and  losing  its  all  in  the  life  of 
God.  This  was  the  life  of  the  Christ  of  God 
whose  meat  was  to  do  the  will  of  the  Father, 
and  who  was  in  the  midst  of  the  earth  as  one 
who  serves.  What  a  wonderful  monument  to 
be  erected  in  the  midst  of  the  rush  of  the  ages. 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  213 

A  monument  to  the  best  that  is  in  man,  and  to 
the  power  of  God’s  love  to  lift  and  ennoble 
and  set  it  on  high.  What  figure  can  express 
this  life?  And  whereunto  shall  we  liken  it? 
This  life  fulfills  the  purpose  of  creation.  It 
is  the  blazing  torch  of  heaven  by  which  all 
failures  are  seen  and  judged,  as  well  as  the 
Source  from  which  all  help  and  good  come. 
Hear  the  ancient  Simeon  speak:  “Behold,  this 
child  is  set  for  the  falling  and  the  rising  of 
many  in  Israel.”  He  also  called  him  “A  light 
for  the  unveiling  of  the  Gentiles.” 

What  loneliness  hangs  its  shadowy  curtains 
all  about  an  isle  in  the  midst  of  a  mad  rushing 
stream.  What  sublime  loneliness  throws  it¬ 
self  about  the  unfolding  life  in  the  bosom  of 
the  isle.  What  awful  and  exceedingly  grand 
loneliness  in  the  lofty  heights  of  the  rugged, 
overhanging  cliffs,  in  the  dark  and  awful 
silence  of  which  some  lone  growth  is  strug¬ 
gling  to  send  down  and  grip  its  spreading 
roots.  As  Christ  rises  in  the  midst  of  the 
stream  of  the  ages,  towering  above  in  moral 
and  spiritual  achievements,  what  loneliness 
falls  about  his  great  expanding,  loving  soul. 
He  saw  his  disciples  disappointed  and  sor¬ 
rowing.  He  sought  to  lay  hold  upon  their 
hearts  with  his  great  sympathy  and  interpret 


214 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


to  them  his  way.  What  he  would  say  in  re¬ 
gard  to  it  would  seem  to  deepen  their  sorrow, 
at  least  the  apprehension  of  something,  they 
knew  not  what.  They  could  not  understand 
him.  He  was  misunderstood  and  misinter¬ 
preted  by  all.  His  jealous  enemies  viciously 
and  harshly  misinterpreted  him.  But  how 
painful  the  misunderstanding  of  the  disciples? 
How  could  the  tense  stress  and  tension  be  re¬ 
moved?  How  he  longed  to  give  security  in 
his  great  undisturbed  life  to  those  he  saw  so 
sorely  dismayed.  Truly  he  was  seeing  the 
shepherd  smitten  and  the  sheep  scattered.  His 
great  lonely  soul  was  before  the  Sanhedrin, 
composed  of  men  who  bore  him  deadly  hatred, 
without  a  friend  understanding  him  in  any 
way  whatever.  Completely  misunderstood  by 
friends  and  foes,  he  enters  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  without  a  fear  of  the  evil  that 
was  besetting  him  on  every  side  at  its  utmost 
concentration  and  its  consummate  daring.  He 
relied  upon  the  rod  and  the  staff  of  Jehovah; 
yea,  his  all  was  caught  up  and  identified  with 
the  will  of  the  Father.  There  could  be  no 
defeat  or  failure  here.  All  was  perfectly  se¬ 
cure.  Even  death  must  yield  him  the  palm  of 
victory.  How  he  longed  to  make  his  disci¬ 
ples  understand  all  this.  Would  that  they 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  215 

could  find  and  live  the  secret  he  lived.  But 
how  is  it?  One  of  these  very  ones  not  only 
misunderstood  him  but  actually  wilfully  de¬ 
nies  him. 

Yes,  at  this  moment  of  severest  test  a  disci-, 
pie  who  had  sworn  to  be  faithful  even  unto 
death,  flatly  denies  him  at  a  maiden’s  question. 
Yet  that  very  denial  was  a  powerful  witness 
of  the  greatness  of  the  Christ.  Peter,  even  in 
his  denial,  testifies  of  the  saving  power  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  A  look  from  the  faithful,  tried 
countenance  of  Christ  melts  the  rash  over¬ 
confident  disciple’s  heart  to  tears.  It  saves 
him.  Those  very  tears  are  changed  to  heroic 
power  as  that  heart  goes  with  Christ  from 
sorrow  to  sorrow  and  shares  in  the  full 
flower  of  the  resurrected  life.  Can  the 
apostle  Peter  not  speak  for  himself? 
“This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up  whereof 
we  all  are  witnesses.”  Time  but  intensifies 
the  witness  of  this  man,  even  that  flat  denial 
from  his  lips.  All  must  witness  for  Jesus. 
The  power  of  Jesus  is  most  beautifully  seen 
in  safeguarding  and  saving  the  unfaithful. 
“All  are  witnesses,”  not  merely  the  disciples 
but  the  whole  great  world  of  imperfection  and 
sin. 

This  is  not  all.  Jesus  causes  his  enemies  to 


2i  6  The  Silent  Nazarene 

witness  for  him,  even  where  his  disciples  wit¬ 
ness  not.  God  in  Christ  truly  makes  the  wrath 
of  man  to  praise  him.  They  seek  witnesses 
against  him  and  find  them  not.  They  must 
conjure  up  something.  They  seek  false  wit¬ 
nesses.  But  even  this  fails  them,  for  what  the 
false  witnesses  bring  is  of  no  avail  for  the  end 
in  view.  They  construed  his  words  in  regard 
to  the  temple  to  suit  themselves.  Yet  they 
signified  nothing  in  way  of  accusation.  They 
seek  an  answer  from  him.  He  is  silent.  There 
is  no  need  of  answer.  Now  they  begin  to  play 
the  coward,  and  try  to  take  advantage  of  the 
stronghold  by  sordid  motives.  They  see  that 
silence  is  his  strength  and  that  the  truth  is  on 
his  side.  So  they  are  forced  to  do  desperate 
things.  They  seek  to  break  his  silence.  Would 
he  dare  to  own  himself  as  the  Son  of  God  at 
this  moment?  It  would  mean  certain  death. 
They  knew  not  the  man  who  stood  before 
them.  When  fear  demands  silence  it  is  time 
to  speak.  “Art  thou  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
Blessed?”  Jesus  does  not  conceal  the  truth  in 
his  answer.  He  speaks  it  out  frankly  and 
plainly.  Yes,  it  is  strikingly  plain  and  distinct. 

“  T  am.’  And  ‘ye  say  that  I  am.’  By  your 
very  actions  ye  show  that  ye  are  convinced 
that  this  is  so.  Now  do  ye  think  I  should  fear 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  217 

to  speak  upon  this  matter  even  though  I  know 
ye  will  use  it  as  a  pretext  for  putting  me  to 
death?  More  than  this  ‘ye  shall  see  the  Son 
of  Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power,  and 
coming  on  the  clouds  of  heaven.’  I  shall  have 
complete  sway  and  jurisdiction  over  the  earth, 
and  ye  shall  be  judged  by  my  counsels.” 

The  reserved,  complacent  Christ  saw  their 
sordid  weak  hearts.  He  was  fully  conscious 
of  the  base  motives  they  sought  to  move  upon. 
They  rend  their  garments  and  act  in  the  most 
distressed  manner.  Yea,  Christ  the  master  of 
the  situation  saw  the  results.  He  saw  beneath 
the  foul  mockery,  willing  to  play  upon  the 
base  motive  of  fear  if  only  an  end  could  be 
reached.  It  was  an  unfair  attack  upon  the 
great  citadel,  and  only  meant  the  complete 
confusion  of  all  who  assailed  the  mighty  bul¬ 
wark.  Jesus  for  that  matter  could  just  as  well 
say  what  he  was  in  the  presence  of  the  high 
priest  as  in  the  seclusion  of  Caesarea  Philippi. 
He  was  just  as  much  in  the  presence  of  the 
Father  here  as  there.  He  had  the  truth  on 
his  side  just  as  much  here  as  there.  The  great 
undisturbed  mind  of  Christ  knew  when  to 
speak  and  when  to  withhold.  He  knew  when 
speech  was  demanded  and  when  it  was  useless 
mockery.  Could  there  be  stronger  witnesses 


2l8 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


for  Christ  than  these  men  who  viciously  sought 
to  condemn  him,  but  who  unintentionally  and 
unconsciously  lifted  the  beauty  of  that  life  be¬ 
fore  the  eyes  of  men  of  all  succeeding  ages? 
They  meant  to  crush  him,  but  they  lifted  him 
to  fuller  view.  So  all  the  enemies  of  Christ 
may  seek  to  conceal  and  even  erase,  blot  out 
that  life  from  the  eyes  of  men  but  they  shall 
surely  lift  it  to  a  broader  and  clearer  vision  of 
humanity.  They  cause  things  to  conspire  to¬ 
gether  that  the  brilliancy  of  the  genuineness  of 
the  Christ  comes  forth  and  dims  not  but  in¬ 
tensifies  with  the  ages. 

Truly  do  you  not  hear  even  these  witnessing 
positively  of  his  transcendent  mission  and 
greatness?  Hear  what  the  high  priest  says: — 
“That  it  is  expedient  that  one  man  should  die 
for  the  people.”  Was  it  an  echo?  If  so,  from 
where? 

“O  high  priest  art  thou  sitting  in  the  halls 
of  truth?  Is  it  strange  that  thou  shouldst  catch 
a  faint  trace  of  that  which  is  reverberating 
through  the  great  chambers  of  truth  that  are 
laid  in  the  heart  of  the  universe?  Is  not  the 
universe  converging  about  this  one  great  truth 
this  very  moment?  Yes,  it  is  so  very  near  the 
surface  of  things  that  the  very  rocks  are  almost 
ready  to  cry  it  out.” 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  219 

If  earth  can  see  but  one  silent  moment,  it 
is  but  a  hint  of  what  is  back  of  it  in  the  heav¬ 
ens.  What  then  if  earth  can  get  a  glimpse  of 
one  perfect  life?  Should  this  life  go  down  in 
silence  before  the  clamor  of  the  imperfect 
ones?  This  life  is  a  glimpse  of  heaven;  yea, 
as  much  of  heaven  as  could  be  pressed  in  a 
mortal  span.  Out  of  the  silence  in  which  it 
went  down  the  world’s  regenerating  forces 
rise,  as  did  the  creative  forces  out  of  God’s 
great  self  to  make  the  worlds  and  place  them 
in  their  order.  We  are  a  new  creation  in 
Christ;  for  the  former  things  are  passed  away, 
but  not  till  they  could  die  to  give  the  newer 
birth.  So  when  the  old  creation  holds  its  fair¬ 
est  flower,  it  dies  in  giving  sweetness  to  the 
coming  fair,  and  leaves  a  fairer  land  which 
blooms  in  greater  freshness  as  the  fair  ones 
die  to  yield  their  sweetness  to  the  living  fair; 
as  each  doth  know  a  fairer  stage  from  each  as 
all  approach  the  life  complete  that  gave  them 
birth.  Did  not  Christ,  the  fairest  flower  of 
creation  die  to  show  by  proof  that  it  is  so? 
His  mortal  form  broken  dies,  and  his  great  life 
bursts  forth  and  fills  the  world  with  heaven’s 
very  life.  This  is  the  life  of  the  man  who 
said: — “Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except 
a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die, 


220 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


it  abideth  alone:  but  if  it  die  it  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit.” 

The  D  enial 

What  a  tempestuous  disciple!  so  full  of 
emotion.  Always  ready  with  an  answer  for 
whatever  comes.  Just  as  ready  with  advice 
unasked  for — for  superior  as  for  inferior.  He 
withstands  his  Lord  to  the  face  insisting  that 
his  Master  must  be  mistaken  as  he  himself  can¬ 
not  be  in  error.  Let  us  see  how  he  falls  all 
over  himself  as  he  comes  to  the  real  test. 

How  positive  he  is  that  he  will  remain  true 
to  his  Lord  in  every  crisis  and  under  every 
circumstance.  But  not  far  removed  from 
even  the  very  beginning  of  the  gracious  min¬ 
istry  treachery  is  casting  its  shadow  over  the 
grand  work  of  the  Christ.  Yes,  at  the  very 
height  of  his  activities  restlessness  steals  its 
way  even  among  his  disciples.  Some  of  his  fol¬ 
lowers  have  turned  back  from  walking  with 
him.  Of  course  the  fickle  crowd  is  falling 
away  since  he  has  refused  to  let  them  take  him 
and  make  him  king  with  the  hope  of  subject¬ 
ing  and  enslaving  the  earth.  This  is  to  be  ex¬ 
pected.  But  when  his  sincere  followers  begin 
to  turn  back  it  is  uncertain  as  to  where  it 
would  end.  Christ  put  his  test  question  to  his 


i 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  221 

disciples  for  he  knew  that  they  also  were  par¬ 
takers  of  human  nature;  and  so  being  they 
were  sharing  in  the  doubts  and  ambitions  so 
characteristic  of  our  race.  So  he  addressed 
the  chosen  few,  saying: 

“Ye  see  that  men  are  falling  away  from  fol¬ 
lowing  after  me.  My  ways  do  not  meet  their 
approval.  Even  some  that  were  very  sincere 
have  turned  aside.  Would  ye  also  go  away?” 

Quick  as  a  flash  is  that  impulsive  disciple 
with  an  answer.  “Lord,  to  whom  shall  we 
go?  thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life.” 

“Truly,  Peter,  hast  thou  flashed  upon  a 
glimpse  back  of  the  veil?” 

But  the  shadows  are  growing;  they  lengthen 
and  stretch  themselves  over  and  across  the  life 
of  Christ  as  he  is  facing  his  western  sun — his 
declining  sun  so  far  as  his  earthly  life  is  con¬ 
cerned.  Man’s  dark  treachery  is  malignly 
plotting  to  crush  out  his  life.  The  Master 
distinctly  points  out  to  his  chosen  few  that  the 
shepherd  shall  be  smitten  and  the  sheep  scat¬ 
tered.  Yes,  he  told  them,  saying: 

“All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of  me 
this  night.” 

In  what  hot  haste  is  Simon  Peter  to  reply. 
Pie  is  very  sure  of  himself.  He  is  vehement 
in  his  language. 


222 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


“Though  all  men  shall  be  offended  because 
of  thee,  yet  will  I  never  be  offended.” 

But  the  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  his  Lord 
knows  Simon  far  better  than  Simon  knows  his 
own  self,  and  his  Lord  says, 

“Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  that  this  night, 
before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny  me 
thrice.” 

Ah,  this  is  irritating  to  the  rash  and  over¬ 
confident  disciple  and  spokesman.  Indeed  he 
spoke  what  he  thought.  He  assumed  it  all  to 
be  truth,  and  was  very  much  agitated  that  it 
should  provoke  a  question  within  his  Master. 
So  he  would  make  it  very  strong  with  vehem¬ 
ent  words. 

“Though  I  should  die  with  thee,  yet  will  I 
not  deny  thee.” 

So  we  are  told  “Likewise  said  all  the  dis¬ 
ciples.” 

“O  disciple,  thou  art  defying  all  reason. 
Wilt  thou  impulsively  rush  on  as  if  no  warn¬ 
ing  had  been  given?  How  long  is  it  neces¬ 
sary  to  find  out  that  blindly  blundering  and 
rushing  up  against  things,  is  not  mastery?” 

“At  the  betrayal  thou  art  just  roused  out  of 
thy  sleep;  slash  off  the  ear  of  one  of  the  gang 
that  is  about  to  take  thy  Lord.  Art  thou 
dreaming,  or  but  half  awake?  Hast  thou  been 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  223 

so  long  a  time  with  thy  Lord,  and  hast  not 
learned  better  than  this?  Is  it  possible  that 
thy  Lord  must  rebuke  thee,  and  bid  thee  put 
up  thy  sword  into  its  place,  when  thou  hast 
stood  so  very  near  him  for  three  years?  Did 
he  not  take  thee  with  him  to  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration?  and  did  he  not  choose  thee  as 
one  of  the  three  to  go  with  him  for  prayer  in 
this  very  garden?  Where  is  all  this  education 
at  any  rate?  Is  it  possible  to  breathe  in  the 
very  presence  of  Christ  and  miss  the  spirit  of 
his  life  so  completely?  Now  we  see  the  force 
of  the  words  of  the  Blessed  Master  to  the 
doubting  Thomas :  “Blessed  are  they  that  have 
not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed.”  Is  it  that  the 
mortal  is  so  much  in  thy  way?  But  lo,  what 
strange  thing  is  taking  place?  What  un¬ 
looked  for  spirit  has  come  over  thee?  Is  it  not 
so  contrary  to  thy  past?  Why  follow  this  Mas¬ 
ter  to  whom  thou  hast  sworn  allegiance  afar 
off?  Hast  thou  forgotten  thy  pledge  already? 
Or  didst  thou  not  understand  thyself  when 
thou  rashly  didst  swear  to  stand  with  him  even 
unto  death?  Ah,  Simon  Peter,  thou  art  very 
much  human  too;  and  art  heir  to  much  human 
weakness,  yes,  and  hast  very  much  to  learn  and 
profit  thereby.” 

This  early  cool  morn,  see  Simon  Peter 


224 


The  Silent  Nazar  ene 


slowly  drawing  nearer  the  high  priest’s  house. 
The  stealthy  band  with  their  prisoner  is  within 
the  porch,  except  a  few  who  are  hanging 
around  the  outside.  As  he  draws  gradually 
nearer  is  he  wondering  how  he  is  to  get  by 
these,  that  he  might  see  what  is  taking  place 
within?  His  head  seems  bowed,  as  though  in 
deep  meditation.  Perhaps  he  is  thinking  how 
he  slashed  off  that  ear  in  the  garden,  and  how 
his  Master  touched  it  and  healed  it,  and  yet 
let  them  lead  him  captive  to  the  high  priest. 
Maybe  they  have  him  spotted  now,  and  are 
on  the  lookout  for  him.  He  must  exercise 
great  caution  or  they  will  capture  and  try  him, 
if  for  no  other  reason  than  for  wounding  a 
man,  and  perhaps  impute  to  him  the  intention 
of  murder.  As  his  mind  is  all  befuddled,  in 
some  way  he  edges  by  these  who  are  whisper¬ 
ing  together  on  the  outside.  Just  as  he  gets 
through  he  lifts  his  eyes  and  sees  the  whisper¬ 
ing  danger  through  which  he  has  just  squeezed 
himself.  A  shudder  goes  through  his  body. 
Maybe  it’s  all  about  himself.  He  feels  cool 
at  any  rate  and  draws  near  the  fire  to  warm 
his  shaking  frame.  Whether  a  nervous  chill 
or  a  chill  from  the  natural  cold  without  he 
was  busy  with  thought.  The  warm  fire  is  wel¬ 
come  to  the  trembling  body,  but  his  senses  are 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  225 

certainly  bewitched  and  in  a  muddle.  That 
little  maiden  who  draws  near  to  the  fire  and 
asks  him  whether  he  was  not  with  Jesus,  adds 
to  his  confusion  and  perplexity.  He  had 
enough  of  trouble  as  it  was  without  being  dis¬ 
turbed  by  a  maiden,  and  especially  one  who 
wanted  him  to  commit  himself  right  in  the 
presence  of  those  who  held  his  Lord  as  a  pris¬ 
oner.  Perhaps  if  he  could  have  whispered  it 
to  her  apart  from  them  he  might  have  done 
so.  He  is  not  exactly  a  coward,  but  somehow 
he  has  lost  his  grip.  He,  therefore,  replies — 
“I  don’t  know  what  thou  art  talking  about. 
I  don’t  understand  thee;  what  thou  sayest.” 
He  did  not  mean  to  say  that. 

“But  Simon,  thou  hast  proven  unfaithful, 
and  untrue.  Thou  hast  lied  only  to  make  thy 
condition  more  baffling.  Thou  art  vexed  that 
they  don’t  leave  thee  alone  at  that.  How  can 
a  man’s  sins  leave  him  alone?  Dost  thou  think 
that  such  an  answer  will  satisfy  those  who  wish 
to  pry  into  thy  whereabouts?  and  shield  thee 
from  further  annoyance  and  unpleasantness  of 
assault?  Why  go  out  into  the  porch?  Dost  thou 
hope  to  run  away  from  and  escape  the  sting? 
Ah,  it  follows  thee  there  in  hot  pace.  Thou 
canst  not  help  but  be  seen.  Yes,  seen  by  an¬ 
other  maiden,  and  she  too  knows  what  she  is 


22  6 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


talking  about.  She  makes  it  her  business  to 
tell  those  who  are  standing  by  who  thou  art.” 

“This  fellow  was  also  with  Jesus  of  Naz¬ 
areth.”  She  could  not  help  but  talk  about 
the  important  event  that  was  taking  place.  She 
wished  to  tell  all  she  knew  about  it  too.  That 
was  perfectly  natural.  Can  Simon  Peter  keep 
his  reserve  and  remain  silent?  Is  not  his 
Lord  passing  through  the  tests  with  wonderful 
reserve?  The  information  is  not  addressed  to 
Simon,  but  somehow  he  thinks  it  is  meant  for 
him,  and  he  chafes  under  it.  Ah,  he  denies 
again  with  an  oath,  “I  do  not  know  the  man.” 

“Simon,  thy  sin  is  driving  thee  to  close  cor¬ 
ners.  Its  demands  are  growing  harsher,  and 
thou  art  sinking  deeper.  Thy  sin  of  unfaith¬ 
fulness  is  burning  thee  blacker.  It  will  hunt 
thee  down.  If  thou  returnest  back  into  the 
presence  of  thy  Master  it  will  press  thee  ex¬ 
ceedingly  hard  there.  But  there  only  thou 
canst  be  saved.” 

But  that  maiden  has  not  spoken  in  vain. 
Thy  vehement  protest  has  only  roused  suspi¬ 
cion  with  those  that  are  standing  by.  They 
see  that  thou  art  too  anxious  to  escape  this 
charge.  They  become  restless  in  their  curios¬ 
ity  to  press  the  matter.  How  much  time  will 
they  allow  elapse?  Just  now  see  one  gradu- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  227 

ally  drawing  nearer.  He  seems  to  have  some¬ 
thing  to  say.  Hear,  his  curiosity  gets  the  bet¬ 
ter  of  him. 

“Surely  thou  also  art  one  of  them;  for  thy 
speech  maketh  thee  known.”  “It  is  useless 
to  deny  it.  Thy  very  speech  giveth  thee  away. 
Thou  art  a  Galilean.  There  is  no  mistake 
about  that.  Every  evidence  shows  that  thou 
art.  Yes,  we  saw  thee  in  the  garden  with  him ; 
and - ” 

Simon  Peter  breaks  in,  cursing  and  swear¬ 
ing,  saying,  “I  know  not  this  man  of  whom  ye 
speak.”  Then  there  was  a  terrible  moment 
of  awful  silence  and  immediately  the  cock 
crew.  Just  then  the  Master  who  had  been  si¬ 
lent  all  the  while  turns  and  looks  on  that  un¬ 
faithful  disciple.  He  speaks  not  a  word;  but 
that  look  crowds  that  disciple’s  mind  with 
overwhelming  thoughts,  and  melts  that  heart 
so  that  if  it  were  capable  it  would  flow  rivers 
of  tears.  Yes,  he  would  pour  the  whole  heart 
out  in  sobs  of  bitter  weeping.  “And  he  went 
out  and  wept  bitterly.” 

But  so  much  anguish  must  be  pent  up  and 
retained,  to  tear  the  very  sinews  out;  to  wrap 
the  soul  in  remorse,  and  the  body  in  excruciat¬ 
ing  pain.  Both  must  suffer  together.  Both 
must  grow  together  out  of  the  old  life  into 


228 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


the  new,  where  pains,  misgivings,  and  remorse 
even  must  fade  away,  as  the  soul  grips  itself 
and  lives  in  the  higher  life  of  Christ.  Yes, 
when  the  Apostle  Peter  could  live  in  the  ten¬ 
derness,  and  loving  innocence  of  that  look  of 
his  Master  he  could  truly  say,  “I  live,”  or 
rather  with  the  Apostle  Paul,  “Christ  liveth 
in  me.”  Ah,  in  very  truth,  whenever  our  look 
claims  those  who  are  unfaithful  to  us,  with¬ 
out  any  reason  for  their  being  so  on  our  part, 
we  are  getting  the  spirit  of  the  Master;  we 
are  saving  men  with  Christ.  Christ  liveth  in 
us. 

We  are  like  Peter,  we  know  such  a  little 
about  ourselves  that  we  must  run  up  against 
many  things  in  our  overconfidence  before  we 
find  our  own  inability  to  cope  with  things  as 
they  are,  and  our  need  of  a  stronger  arm  to 
rely  upon;  yes,  a  stronger  mind  on  which  to 
shift  burdens  too  heavy  and  complex  for  us. 
It  takes  much  stumbling  to  find  that  God  is 
our  burden-bearer.  The  load  must  be  next 
thing  to  impossible  to  carry — it  must  be  at 
the  breaking  down  and  crushing  point,  if  we 
will  let  him  have  it  and  dispose  of  it  for  us. 
It  took  many  rough  hard  rebuffs  for  the  quick 
impulsive  Peter  to  find  that  the  quiet,  inno¬ 
cent  look  of  his  Master  alone  could  save  him. 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  229 

It  was  a  look  so  full  of  pity  and  compassion 
that  he  remembers  it  all  now.  How  he  had 
been  living  with  Christ  and  the  manner  of 
life  Christ  lived.  He  recalls  vividly  how 
his  Master  warned  him  of  his  weakness,  and 
how  he  heedlessly  rushed  on  in  his  rash  way 
till  he  had  showed  himself  in  this  last  des¬ 
perate  extremity  of  unfaithfulness.  Was  it 
not  time  for  the  look  of  Christ  to  bring  him 
back?  Yet  it  was  in  due  season — the  proper 
moment. 

Ah,  God  always  steps  in  at  the  proper  mo¬ 
ment.  He  withholds  the  arm  of  Abraham 
when  he  has  the  point  of  the  knife  at  his  son’s 
heart.  Just  when  a  man’s  sin  is  about  to  do 
its  last  deadly  work  the  love  of  Christ  smites 
the  glaring  lance  into  shivering  splinters. 
Man  finds  himself,  and  lays  his  soul  as  is  hon¬ 
orable  and  right  at  the  feet  of  this  Knight 
of  the  ages.  This  man  of  silent  greatness  de¬ 
livers  after  a  wonderful  fashion.  A  look 
from  him  can  save  a  man.  Can  save  a  man 
who,  when  he  seeks  relief  from  pressure,  gen¬ 
erally  choses  a  way  open  to  his  own  confu¬ 
sion.  He  trusts  in  the  “horses  and  horsemen 
of  Egypt”  only  to  be  trodden  down  by  them. 
Yes,  he  is  lost  in  his  own  bewilderment.  The 
pure,  the  serene,  the  masterful  look  of  Christ 


230 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


alone  can  bring  him  back  to  himself. 

Christ  Before  Pilate 

Lo,  how  many  stretches  of  mortal  existence 
there  are  in  spite  of  our  frailty.  We  live  in 
spite  of  our  faults  and  mistakes;  yes,  mistakes 
that  are  too  often  blind  blundering.  When 
we  have  passed  we  often  wonder  how  we  have 
passed  the  impassable  breach,  and  yet  are 
safe.  To  human  eye  this  becomes  a  mystery. 
But  the  vivid  flashes  from  the  hidden  depths 
somehow  make  our  pathway  sure,  so  we  are 
willing  to  move  on  though  we  know  that  we 
are  capable  of  making  many  blunders — stum¬ 
bling  into  many  dangers  that  beset  our  path¬ 
way.  If  the  soul  is  set  on  avoiding  these  hid¬ 
den  snares  by  placing  reliance  upon  these 
prompt  and  persistent  flashes  out  of  the  hid¬ 
den  depths;  yes,  if  the  pilgrim  seeks  this  guid¬ 
ance  diligently,  he  will  pass  unhurt.  Some¬ 
thing  tells  us  right  from  wrong  in  no  uncer¬ 
tain  terms. 

But  what  if  this  gentle  though  sure  guide 
is  ignored?  Then  conscience  either  becomes 
a  scourge,  or  it  is  silenced  beneath  the  ruins 
of  an  immortal  soul.  How  often  scourged 
like  galley  slave  we  are  forced  to  do  the 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  231 

right.  We  remember  the  wrong  as  long 
as  the  smarting  sting  is  there.  Then 
straightway  we  forget  and  commit  as  grave 
errors  as  before  with  the  sting  intensified  a 
hundredfold.  It  becomes  a  marvel  how  so 
many  of  us  pass  and  live.  God  warns;  we 
forget.  Some  eyes  are  open;  others  are  delib¬ 
erately  closed.  These  latter  stumble  into  their 
own  ruin.  So  Pilate,  like  a  Galley  slave,  was 
scourged  into  his  own  hell. 

Does  not  the  clamoring  voice  bewitch  you 
that  it  holds  the  power— performs  the  work? 
Is  not  the  fright  too  often  at  the  report  and 
not  at  the  bullet  stroke  of  death?  The  ex¬ 
plosive  force  may  send  the  bullet  on,  but  first 
the  quiet  touch  must  give  it  leave.  The  rip¬ 
ping  thunder  clash  may  fall  like  splintering 
sounds  all  about  the  storm-shrouded  dale,  but 
ere  this  is  heard  the  vivid  piercing  lightnings 
have  done  their  work. 

The  clamoring  crowd  is  like  a  seething  mass 
that  finds  its  vent  at  every  fissure  that  may 
break  within  its  prison  walls;  the  weakest 
points  must  yield  to  its  infuriate  haste.  The 
thunderous  noise  confuse,  dethrone  men  from 
their  reason,  and  they  plunge  into  the  lava 
stream  of  death.  Alas  for  Pilate,  who  suf¬ 
fered  the  clamoring  voice  of  the  multitude  to 


232  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

bewitch  his  senses  and  plunge  him  into  the 
ignoble  deed  that  brought  him  ruin.  Well 
might  he  ask,  “Art  thou  a  king?”  of  the  meek, 
self-possessed  Christ  who  stands  before  him. 
Pilate  was  caught  in  the  muddle  of  the  clamor. 
But  this  man  in  a  strange  power  that  grew  in¬ 
tense  with  his  silence  was  master.  When  his 
answer  came  it  was  a  kingly  one.  Its  ring 
set  at  naught  the  clamor  and  made  the  hands 
of  Pilate  weak.  *‘Thou  sayest  it”  made  Pilate 
prisoner  in  the  question  he  had  asked.  And 
Jesus  still  must  speak  to  this  man’s  utter 
confusion. 

“Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end 
have  I  been  born,  and  to  this  end  am  I  come 
into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness 
unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth 
heareth  my  voice.” 

How  Pilate’s  confusion  waxes  bewildering. 
He  is  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  help  himself. 
He  can  only  resort  to  a  question  again;  yes,  a 
question  to  plunge  him  into  deeper  perplexity. 
He  asks,  “What  is  truth?”  and  nervously 
rushes  out  without  an  answer,  saying  to  the 
Jews,  “I  find  no  crime  in  him.”  The  strain 
of  indecision  became  more  tense  and  chained 
his  mind  within  its  hold;  the  great  silent  king 
with  irresistible  power  on  one  side,  and  the 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  233 

clamoring  multitude  with  their  crushing  pres¬ 
sure  on  the  other.  “Answerest  thou  nothing? 
behold  how  many  things  they  accuse  thee  of.” 
Ah,  but  there  in  unbroken  silence  the  Christ 
stands.  He  knows  that  the  so-called  accusa¬ 
tions  in  themselves  have  no  weight  at  all.  To 
reply  to  them  would  be  useless  folly;  yes, 
sheer  madness.  Such  would  unarm  him  of 
his  mastery.  Christ  stands  there  with  master¬ 
ful  reserve.  Pilate  marvels.  Well  might  he 
marvel.  The  kingly  might  of  the  silent  man 
dethrones  the  governor  so  that  as  a  perplexed 
beast  he  sought  every  manner  of  escape.  The 
fear  of  the  multitude  fell  upon  him  like  a 
stinging  scourge,  and  the  mastery  of  the  silent 
king  impelled  him  he  knew  not  where. 

Now  at  the  feast  he  was  accustomed  to  re¬ 
lease  unto  them  one  prisoner  whom  they  asked 
of  him.  There  was  one  Barabbas  who  was  ly¬ 
ing  bound  with  them  that  had  made  insurrec¬ 
tion,  men  who  in  the  insurrection  had  com¬ 
mitted  murder.  “Now  the  chief  priests  and 
the  elders  persuaded  the  multitudes  that  they 
should  ask  for  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus.” 
But  Pilate  wishes  to  anticipate  the  wishes  of 
the  multitudes  that  he  might  the  more  gain 
their  favor.  So  he  goes  out  to  them,  saying, 
“Whom  will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you?  Ba- 


234 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


rabbas,  or  Jesus  who  is  called  Christ?”  How 
high  the  clamor  goes.  It  is  like  the  crest  of  the 
floodtide,  and  its  roaring  clamor  like  the  floods 
of  many  waters.  So  disorderly  and  irresisti¬ 
ble  are  they.  The  governor  makes  as  though  he 
does  not  understand  the  multitudes,  and  in  his 
mad  endeavor  to  get  from  them  that  which  he 
hopes  to  receive,  he  repeats  his  question,  elimi¬ 
nating  the  names  that  had  thrown  the  multi¬ 
tudes  into  such  a  mad  frenzy  (as  he  supposed) . 
“Which  of  the  two  will  ye  that  I  release  unto 
you?”  They  shout  back,  “Barabbas.”  But 
the  governor  ignores  them  and  makes  as 
though  he  does  not  hear.  “Will  ye  that  I  re¬ 
lease  unto  you  the  king  of  the  Jews?”  Now 
all  their  fury  is  thrown  into  their  vehement  an¬ 
swer.  They  will  make  it  strong  and  clear  to 
him  this  time.  The  governor  cannot  mistake 
it  again.  It  is  like  the  pounding  of  the  waters 
upon  the  tide-lashed  rock-ribbed  sides  of  the 
narrow  sound.  He  must  hear  it  because  of  its 
massive  weight  if  for  no  other  reason.  “Away 
with  this  man,  and  release  unto  us  Barabbas: 
Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas.”  Then  the  dis¬ 
tracted  governor  asks  as  though  he  would 
cover  his  confusion  with  further  confusion, 
saying,  “What  then  shall  I  do  with  Jesus  who 
is  called  Christ?”  “Ah,  Pilate,  thou  hast  ig- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  235 

nored  the  first  part  of  their  reply  so  that  they 
can  drive  the  sting  deeper  into  thy  smarting 
soul.  Again  thou  art  asking  that  raving  mul¬ 
titude  what  to  do.”  They  roar  him  back  the 
answer  with  hoarse  throats,  heaping  distract¬ 
ing  confusion  upon  his  already  insane  and 
wrecked  judgment.  Yes,  they  are  like  the 
crashing  floods  that  break  and  overflow  his 
soul,  and  in  their  raging  bluster  sweep  away  in 
ruins  his  better  self.  The  shouts,  “Crucify 
him,  crucify  him,”  are  overwhelming  this 
victim  of  the  fickle  mob.  Pilate  seeking  to 
stop  its  fury  again  asks  that  mad  mob  a  ques¬ 
tion — asks  to  reason  with  them,  saying,  “Why, 
what  evil  hath  he  done?”  The  cry  of  the 
fierce  multitude  is  but  intensified — hoarse 
throats  shrieking  out:  “Let  him  be  crucified.” 
There  was  no  let  up  but  the  cry  became  ex¬ 
ceeding  fierce  so  that  no  man  could  tame  it 
down  with  reason  as  Pilate  sought  to  do.  It 
had  all  gotten  beyond  him. 

And  while  Pilate  is  sitting  on  the  judgment 
seat  his  wife  sends  a  message  unto  him.  As 
he  reads  it  darkness  crowds  his  brow  and  his 
restless  countenance  betokens  a  disquieted  soul. 
She  has  written  to  her  already  distracted  hus¬ 
band,  saying,  “Have  nothing  to  do  with  that 
righteous  man:  for  I  have  suffered  many 


236 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


things  this  day  in  a  dream  because  of  him.” 
Everything  points  to  the  righteousness  of  this 
kingly  man  but  the  multitudes  without  are 
clamoring  with  hoarse  voices  the  one  thing, 
“Let  him  be  crucified.”  “So  when  Pilate  saw 
that  he  prevailed  nothing,  but  rather  that  a 
tumult  was  arising,  he  took  water,  and  washed 
his  hands  before  the  multitude,  saying,  I  am 
innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  man;  see  ye  to 
it.”  And  all  the  people  answer,  waxing  ex¬ 
ceedingly  bold  on  seeing  the  governor  weaken 
— relaxing  his  grip  upon  the  silent  kingly  man 
between  him  and  that  furious  multitude.  “His 
blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children.”  He  re¬ 
leases  to  them  Barabbas  and  gives  Jesus  over 
to  them  to  be  scourged. 

Does  it  befit  a  ruler  to  do  a  childish  act? 
Can  Pilate  wash  his  hands  clean  of  the  inno¬ 
cent  blood?  His  distorted  countenance  be¬ 
tokens  an  outraged  writhing  soul.  His  acts 
carve  out  a  living  picture  of  a  slave.  What  to 
scourge  a  man  in  hope  that  he  might  get  the 
consent  of  the  mob  to  set  him  free?  “Pilate, 
why  try  to  humble  that  silent  man  to  make 
him  tenfold  more  thy  king?  The  crown  of 
thorns,  the  purple  robe  will  but  distract  thy 
already  enslaved  senses,  and  show  more  grand¬ 
ly  the  silent  Master  who  made  thee  marvel. 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  237 

Each  trifling  deed  when  thou  canst  stand  on 
neither  side  will  make  thee  more  a  slave.” 

“Now  you  stand,  O  bonded  slave  of  the 
throne.  You  are  bound  about  with  regal 
shackles.  The  people  seize  the  manacles  and 
clutch  them  about  your  hands.  You  move  to¬ 
ward  that  multitude,  suffer  the  innocent,  un¬ 
resenting  man  to  be  mocked,  jeered  at  in  the 
most  humiliating  way.  Now  he  is  crowned 
with  thorns;  now  arrayed  in  purple  robe;  now 
struck  with  the  hand,  and  smitten  with  the 
reed:  Yes,  even  he  is  spit  upon.  But  unkind- 
est  of  all,  see  these  vile  mockers  bow  the  knee, 
and  in  derision  cry  out,  “Hail,  king  of  the 
Jews,”  striking  his  head  with  the  reed  they  had 
placed  in  his  hand  as  a  mock  sceptre.  Now, 
Pilate,  you  come  forth  to  this  crowd  wild  with 
the  fury  of  hate  to  whom  you  have  been  giving 
just  enough  of  his  blood  to  make  their  mad¬ 
ness  rave  from  an  unsatiate  thirst — you  come 
forth  to  say  to  that  mob.  “Behold  I  bring  him 
forth  to  you,  that  ye  may  know,  that  I  find  no 
fault  in  him.”  Pilate,  can  you  continually 
kindle  and  feed  the  fire  and  expect  it  stop 
burning?  The  lowly  man  is  at  your  side — 
how?  Honored  with  royal  diadem  and  regal 
splendor?  Alas  he  wears  a  crown  of  thorns 
and  a  mock  robe  of  purple.  You  call  out  to 


238 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


that  grimy,  thirsty  mob,  “Behold  the  man,” 
and  then  expect  him  free?  Does  the  savage 
beast  leave  off  devouring  his  prey  because 
he  has  mangled  and  torn  it?  Will  his  gaze 
upon  it  satisfy  him?  Does  it  not  rather  in¬ 
crease  his  thirst  for  the  blood  of  his  victim? 
Yes,  humanity  not  merely  encages  the  soul  in 
beastly  prisons,  when  deadly  passions  rage, 
but  makes  the  soul  its  slave  to  lift  the  beastly 
passions  to  tenfold  greater  shame.  Pilate, 
you  dare  not  throw  your  victim  into  beastly 
jaws  and  hope  to  rescue  him  by  so  doing.  And 
so  too  it  is  vain  for  you  to  walk  into  the  fire, 
and  hope  to  avoid  it  at  the  same  instant. 

Do  you  hear  out  of  that  multitude’s  clamor, 
something  that  will  break  the  tension  of  your 
way?  Listen,  “By  our  law  he  ought  to  die,  be¬ 
cause  he  made  himself  the  Son  of  God.”  Pi¬ 
late,  will  you  still  insist  that  the  silent  kingly 
man  answer  the  clamor  of  the  raving  multi¬ 
tude  as  you  are  trying  to  do?  Is  your  confu¬ 
sion  insufficient  still?  Why  threaten  him  be¬ 
cause  of  his  silence?  How  dare  you  say, 
“Speakest  thou  not  unto  me?  Knowest  thou 
not  that  I  have  power  to  crucify  thee,  and 
power  to  release  thee?”  But  listen,  Pilate, 
the  silence  is  broken.  “Thou  couldst  have  no 
power  at  all  against  me,  except  it  was  given 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  239 
thee  from  above!” 

Did  Pilate  believe  him?  Then  why  did  he 
try  to  “release  him  from  that  very  hour”?  Is 
it  strange  after  all  this  that  he  should  have 
believed  it,  being  spoken  by  this  kingly  man? 
How  could  he  have  stood  before  such  a  life, 
and  not  have  had  the  power  of  the  words  that 
proceeded  out  of  its  silence  masterly  enforced 
and  borne  in  upon  him?  Yes,  the  life  of  Christ 
clinched  what  he  said.  His  words  were  pow¬ 
erful  because  he  was  so  much  greater  than 
his  words.  His  very  life  spoke  more  elo¬ 
quently  than  words  could  convey.  What  he 
was  convinced  Pilate  that  this  was  so.  He 
needs  no  other  evidence.  He  tries  to  free 
Jesus.  But  what  of  this  howling  multitude? 
Pilate  has  committed  himself  to  them.  How 
can  he  extricate  himself?  They  have  drawn 
him  into  the  subtle  meshes  of  their  web.  He 
is  their  victim  rather  than  the  silent  man  of 
Galilee. 

When  the  multitude  see  the  governor 
straining  every  nerve  to  release  the  silent  pris¬ 
oner  they  shout  up  to  him,  saying,  “If  thou  re¬ 
lease  this  man,  thou  art  not  Caesar’s  friend: 
every  one  that  maketh  himself  a  king  speaketh 
against  Caesar.”  Pilate  has  the  life  whipped  out 
of  him  as  he  hears  these  crued  words  fiercely 


240 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


hurled  at  him.  His  unavailing  energies  flag — 
exhausted  he  is  on  the  point  of  total  collapse^ 
and  brings  Jesus  out,  and  sits  down  upon  the 
judgment-seat  at  a  place  called  the  Pave¬ 
ment,  but  in  Hebrew  Gabbatha.  Why  does 
Pilate  continue  to  counsel  with  that  mob?  Is 
he  not  deep  enough  in  confusion  and  perplex¬ 
ity?  He  does  not  know  what  he  is  doing.  He 
is  exasperated  because  of  indecision.  But 
what  mania  has  taken  hold  of  him?  What 
possesses  him  to  come  before  that  crowd  again, 
and  say,  “Behold,  your  king?”  Does  he  ex¬ 
pect  to  work  himself  into  their  graces  because 
of  this  saying?  or  is  he  mocking  them?  Have 
not  things  here  of  late  taken  too  serious  a  turn 
for  Pilate  to  mock  at  the  expense  of  this  si¬ 
lent  kingly  man  before  him?  Where  are  his 
senses?  Did  that  dream  of  his  wife  give  him 
the  nightmare  too?  “Poor  slave  of  thy  own 
ambition  and  fears!  The  people  have  made 
them  into  a  scourge  for  thy  lacerated  and 
bleeding  soul.  They  are  scourging  thee  with¬ 
out  mercy.  They  cry  out  with  deafening 
clamor:  “Away  with  him,  away  with  him, 
crucify  him!”  “Pilate,  poor  wretch  thou  art, 
wilt  thou  come  at  them  again  with  a  question 
in  thy  last  extremity?”  “Shall  I  crucify  your 
king?”  “What  answer  didst  thou  expect, 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  241 

worsted  mortal?”  The  chief  priests  are  ready 
with  an  answer  for  thee,  Pilate.”  “We  have 
no  king  but  Caesar.”  (Here  these  religious 
murderers  are  very  loyal  for  it  is  both  con¬ 
venient  and  needful  in  obtaining  the  sentence 
of  murder  upon  the  silent  Man  of  Nazareth.) 
At  this  the  multitude  backed  up  the  chief 
priests  with  their  harassing  clamor:  “Crucify 
him,  crucify  him.  Away  with  him,  away  with 
him,  crucify  him — let  him  be  crucified.” 

This  would-be  ruler  is  as  helpless  as  a  babe, 
but  unlike  a  babe  his  soul  is  withered,  cowed, 
and  scourged  into  fiery  despair  by  the  lash¬ 
ings  of  his  better  self,  and  crushed  by  the  ir¬ 
resistible  power  of  the  truth  as  it  stood  before 
him  in  the  person  of  the  silent  prisoner  on 
trial.  Ah,  but  such  is  the  irony  of  things  that 
Pilate  was  on  trial  before  the  face  of  Christ; 
yes,  the  face  of  the  truth — he  was  weighed  in 
the  balances  and  found  wanting.  He  could 
not  stand  the  test.  The  pressure  was  too  great 
for  him.  He  vields  to  the  clamor  of  the  mul- 

j 

titude  which  he  sought  to  appease  and  satisfy 
from  the  very  first — dragging  the  silent  man 
into  it  with  a  vain  endeavor  to  set  him  free. 
But  what  he  did  was  to  constantly  commit 
himself  to  it  without  drawing  the  silent,  self- 
possessed  man  into  the  vortex  of  the  whirlpool. 


242 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


Pilate  lost  his  grip,  but  the  masterful  spirit 
never  failed  the  humble  Man  of  Galilee.  The 
record  says: 

“Therefore  he  delivered  him  unto  them  to 
be  crucified.” 


The  Crucifixion 

Life  speaks  in  one  great  silent  language. 
Yet  its  speech  is  most  wonderfully  powerful 
and  emphatic.  It  speaks  what  it  is.  To  him 
that  lives  this  speech  is  clear  and  its  notes 
grow  clearer  as  he  presses  further  on  in  his 
quest;  yes,  a  quest  that  finds  itself  simply  by 
living.  It  makes  disclosures  in  no  other  way. 
Does  not  the  tender  plantlet  sprout  in  silence? 
Is  not  the  language  of  the  tender  sprout  the 
eloquent  speech  of  silent  growth  from  day 
to  day?  It  is  all  so  simple  and  natural  that 
when  men  avail  themselves  of  this  secret  of 
nature  they  grow  and  live  also. 

But,  hush!  there  comes  a  sound.  What  can 
it  be?  It  comes  from  out  the  life  that  grew  in 
silence  as  the  seasons  passed — a  limb  is  broken 
from  the  sturdy  tree.  Could  that  which  grew 
in  silence  all  these  years  be  snapped,  and 
broken  in  a  niche  of  time?  The  fractured 
fibers  tearing  cell  from  cell,  brings  a  crash- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  243 

ing  sound  from  out  this  splendid  peace.  Is 
not  the  growth  from  the  tender  sprout  to  the 
deep  colored,  luscious  ripe  fruit  without  a 
break?  Why  this  infraction — this  break  be¬ 
tween  the  sprout  and  the  fruit  immature?  Is 
the  break  death?  Is  the  life  to  go  blasted 
and  fruitless?  The  body  that  life  gives  in  si¬ 
lent  growth  must  yield  a  groan  when  death  in¬ 
trudes  upon  the  order  that  imparts  it  life. 
But  life  itself  shall  take  another  form  till 
death  shall  frown  it  to  the  earth  again.  Such 
is  the  life  of  earth  where  change  and  decay 
mark  things  everywhere.  When  death  is  van¬ 
quished  this  frown  shall  be  removed  from  the 
brow  of  mortal  things,  and  all  shall,  as  sym- 
boled  in  the  death  of  earthly  things,  die  to  each 
other  that  the  life  of  each  may  unfold  trans¬ 
parently  beautiful  in  the  life  of  the  other, 
when  all  that  is  achieved  and  done  is  for  the 
good  of  the  life  of  the  other;  yes,  all  is  lost  in 
giving  sweetness  to  life  on  every  side.  This  is 
the  life  of  Heaven.  A  life  which  Christ  re¬ 
vealed  in  resplendent  fairness.  What  he  was 
in  living  conduct  spoke  this  language  even 
more  powerful  than  his  words.  His  life  was 
the  full  flower  of  what  he  said.  What  he  said 
but  points  you  to  his  life  to  see  for  yourself 
whether  these  things  be  so.  He  who  said: 


244 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


“I  am  among  you  as  one  who  serves,”  lost  him¬ 
self  so  completely  in  serving  that  he  walks 
straight  into  the  jaws  of  death.  This  Man 
said:  “Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this, 
that  a  may  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends.” 
This  Man  who  said  this  waded  through  in¬ 
gratitude  of  even  his  friends  to  do  this  very 
thing,  that  is  to  lay  down  his  life  for  them. 
This  Man  who  said:  “Love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself,”  actually  after  having  suffered  insult 
after  insult  from  those  who  hated  and  despised 
him  without  a  cause,  prays  for  them  when  they 
are  putting  him  to  death.  He  who  said :  “Love 
ye  one  another,”  not  only  stoops  to  wash  his 
disciples’  feet,  but  when  utterly  forsaken  by 
them  in  his  extremest  need,  when  loneliness 
shrouded  his  soul  as  the  thick  darkness,  and 
the  foul  throats  of  treacherous  men  were  like 
sepulchres  gaping  with  death  all  about  him,  he 
resented  not  their  desertion  but  with  a  heart 
full  of  love  prays  the  Father  to  keep  them 
from  the  evil  one.  Yes,  even  when  facing  this 
thick  darkness  he  prays  this  prayer,  knowing 
the  frailty  of  those  for  whom  he  prayed,  his 
heart  welling  with  sympathy  for  them  and  his 
consuming  desire  being  that  they  be  kept 
against  the  fiery  trials  that  beset  them  mid  this 
midnight  gloom.  This  is  the  Man  who  an- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  245 

nounced  the  law  that  he  lived,  “he  that  loseth 
his  life  shall  find  it.”  This  is  the  law  of 
heaven  translated  into  that  of  earth  by  the  life 
of  Jesus.  Is  not  the  life  of  Jesus  found  ev¬ 
erywhere?  And  wherever  it  is  found  there  is 
happiness  and  peace;  yes,  life  in  its  consum¬ 
mate  sweetness,  and  death  must  yield  its  all 
in  the  perfecting  of  this  sweetness.  Thus  we 
find  his  death  the  great  prototype  in  earth  of 
that  which  is  perfect  in  heaven.  We  know  it 
so  because  Christ  in  life  proved  it  so.  When 
we  go  his  way  we  find  it  so. 

As  we  look  into  the  great  mirror  of  nature 
we  behold  a  likeness  to  the  great  spirit  life. 
The  child  unconsciously  grows  to  greater  stat¬ 
ure.  But  lo,  we  stop  for  need  of  strength  to 
take  a  further  step.  What  is  it?  Here  life 
unclothes  far  greater  secrets  than  we  saw  in 
silent  growth  of  plants;  here,  virtues  sweeten 
before  our  eyes.  How  they  grow  and  mature 
is  the  secret  life  itself  must  prove.  How 
often  life  is  called  to  halt  by  death,  even  in 
the  midst  of  exceeding  freshness  and  fairness. 
How  often  the  most  promising  life  goes  down 
into  the  silence  of  the  grave  before  those  of  far 
less  promise.  The  frail  form  sighs.  But 
what  of  all  this  sweetness  that  gathered  in  this 
life?  Could  the  body  part  with  such  fairness 


246 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


without  a  sigh?  That  broken  temple  racked 
with  pain  must  go  with  groans  to  the  lower  or¬ 
der  and  yield  the  fair  life  to  larger  measures 
than  it  could  give.  This  is  the  hope  that 
Christ  has  given,  for  he  himself  has  gone  this 
way.  In  the  full  flower  of  his  life  he  was  cut 
down.  It  is  no  hopeless' way  to  him.  It  was 
the  only  gateway  to  hope.  He  tells  his  disci¬ 
ples  so.  Yes,  he  tells  them  so  when  he  is 
standing  at  the  very  gateway  itself.  “If  I  go 
not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto 
you;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto 
you.”  It  were  as  though  he  said,  “If  I  die, 
my  life  will  fill  the  world ;  if  I  put  off  my  mor¬ 
tal  body  the  Spirit  of  God  shall  take  the  hearts 
of  men;  the  life  of  my  Father  shall  be  every¬ 
where  present  comforting  and  imparting  life 
in  abundance  for  He  is  living  and  serving  in 
your  midst  as  ye  see  me  live  and  serve.” 

What  sage  can  enter  the  secret  of  the  life  of 
Christ  in  its  preparing  stages?  The  how  it 
grew  is  still  with  God.  The  record  tells  us, 
“Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature,  and 
in  favor  with  God  and  man.”  He  lives  in 
meekness,  but  there  issues  from  his  life  a 
power  before  which  all  that  would  oppose 
grows  pale,  shrivels  and  recedes.  That  which 
bends  toward  his  life  obtains  a  greater  fresh- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  247 

ness  which  defeats  the  grossness  that  would 
mar  its  life.  What  a  revelation?  What  a 
magnificent  life  in  all  its  unfolding?  There 
is  not  a  tinge  to  mar  its  symmetry,  and  perfec¬ 
tion.  Lo,  there  is  a  rustle  on  the  leaf?  What, 
Nature  dare  not  leave  a  storm  break  here  upon 
the  serene  sky  of  human  perfection?  Well 
might  it  be  so,  that  Nature  might  chain  and 
interlock  her  wrestling  forces.  But  the  thing 
that  works  the  ruin  has  laid  its  hand  upon 
humanity’s  vesture.  It  will  rend  it  from  the 
top  to  the  bottom,  though  it  can  not  touch  the 
perfection  within.  So  Christ  must  bow  his 
head  and  give  up  the  ghost.  Thus  far  can  hu¬ 
man  madness  rave,  but  there  it  stops  while  the 
stainless  Christ  moves  on. 

What  a  concourse  of  people.  How  they 
press  in  upon  each  other.  The  whole  attention 
seems  riveted  upon  some  one  in  the  very 
midst.  Those  on  the  edges  are  now  running 
here  and  there  as  if  seeking  to  find  some  open¬ 
ing  that  they  might  set  their  eyes  upon  what 
is  going  forward  in  the  heart  of  that  moving 
tumult.  It  is  headed  in  one  general  direction. 
Now  you  can  just  get  a  glimpse  of  some 
women  as  the  wedging  line  breaks  a  little. 
Ah,  see  these  women  are  weeping.  See  that 


24B 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


one  who  is  leaning  upon  the  shoulder  of  a 
splendid  young  man.  Splendid  in  more  ways 
than  one.  He  seems  to  have  special  favor 
with  the  tumultuous  mob  that  makes  up  the 
centre  of  that  moving  train.  At  the  same  time 
he  shows  special  care  for  that  weeping  woman 
whose  heart  no  doubt  is  in  the  midst  of  that 
mob.  See,  her  very  attitude  so  indicates. 
Ah,  now  that  very  centre  breaks.  There  is 
great  excitement.  Behold,  a  young  man  has 
fallen  prostrate  beneath  his  load.  What  con¬ 
fusion.  That  weeping  woman  is  about  to  fall 
and  embrace  that  exhausted  young  man  when 
a  soldiers  forbids  her  interference.  This 
must  be  their  prisoner  who  has  fallen  faint  to 
the  earth.  Yes,  he  has  fallen  beneath  a  tree 
they  have  compelled  him  to  bear.  Have  they 
been  trying  to  flag  his  life  out  in  this  way? 
Then  why  do  they  not  let  him  die  on  the  spot? 
for  see,  they  have  seized  upon  another  fellow 
who  chanced  to  be  handy  and  compel  him  help 
bear  the  tree.  Surely  they  have  given  their 
victim  torment  enough  already.  But  no,  they 
close  up  the  line  as  closely  massed  as  before, 
and  press  on  toward  Golgotha’s  ghastly  frown. 
Again  through  the  break  in  that  petulant  tu¬ 
mult  you  get  a  glimpse  of  that  mother,  for 
mother  she  is,  for  hear  (for  you  can  hear  even 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  249 

though  you  can  not  see) .  Yes,  see  too,  for  the 
mob  centre  breaks  again.  See  that  young  man 
beneath  his  heavy  load  turn  and  address  the 
women  who  follow  with  bitter  weeping.  Let 
us  listen  to  what  he  has  to  say. 

“Daughters  of  Jesusalem,  weep  not  for  me, 
but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  chil¬ 
dren.  For,  behold,  the  days  are  coming,  in  the 
which  they  shall  say,  Blessed  are  the  barren, 
and  the  wombs  that  never  bare,  and  the  paps 
which  never  give  suck.  Then  shall  they  be¬ 
gin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on  us;  and  to 
the  hills,  Cover  us.  For  if  they  do  these 
things  in  a  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in 
the  dry?” 

Who  is  the  man  who  dare  utter  such  things? 
See  the  mockers  scorn  and  jeer.  But  what 
wonderful  self-control ;  what  marvelous  self- 
possession  this  man  has  over  all  emotional  out¬ 
bursts.  He  is  perfectly  composed  and  calm, 
though  his  face  shows  marks  of  intense  suf¬ 
fering.  His  countenance  is  marred  as  no 
other  man’s.  Yet  as  they  buffet  him  and  in¬ 
sult  him,  he  plods  on  with  his  crushing  bur¬ 
den;  yes,  he  bears  the  cross  without  a  murmur 
to  the  place  of  the  skull.  As  he  trudges  up 
that  ghastly  hill  with  his  straining  load  his 
body  exhausted  must  yield  a  sigh.  Ah,  this 


250 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


but  a  hint  of  the  painful  tragedy  that  is  tak¬ 
ing  place  within.  With  all  this  stress  and 
suffering  pent  within,  the  Christ  lays  down  his 
cumbersome  burden  on'  Calvary.  He  laid 
down  his  physical  burden  to  prepare  to  lay 
down  his  spirit’s  at  the  same  place  and  the 
same  hour.  Yes,  here  is  where  all  mortals 
who  follow  Christ  can  drop  their  burdens  and 
go  free. 

Now  that  crowd  stops  and  for  a  moment 
there  is  silence.  Yes,  stinging  silence  that  is 
broken  by  the  sound  of  the  bar  that  is  digging 
up  the  earth  and  cleaving  the  rock.  They 
are  making  three  holes  in  which  to  set  three 
crosses.  Ah,  nearby  the  one  in  the  middle 
there  stands  that  young  man  whose  counte¬ 
nance  is  marred  as  no  other  man.  His  coun¬ 
tenance  is  exceedingly  sad.  He  glances  at  the 
woman  who  is  leaning  upon  a  young  man’s 
shoulder  and  then  casts  an  eye  at  the  young 
man  who  is  supporting  the  grief-stricken  wo¬ 
man  as  if  to  say,  “Thou  knowest  what  I  mean. 
There  is  not  a  look  of  vagueness  upon  the 
young  man’s  face  to  whom  the  sad  look  is  ad¬ 
dressed.  It  is  even  so,  the  young  man  with 
auburn  hair  falling  over  his  shoulders  returns 
the  meaning  look  to  that  sad  countenance 
from  which  men  hid  their  faces  as  though 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  251 
he  were  saying: 

“I  know  what  thou  meanest,  for  thou  hast 
fulfilled  the  law  and  the  prophets,  and  thou 
regardest  as  not  the  least  of  the  law  this, 
‘Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother;  that  thy 
days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee.’  This  is  the  first 
commandment  with  promise,  and  too  thou  hast 
said,  ‘The  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth.’  Mas¬ 
ter,  I  see  now  why  thou  didst  pass  the  severe 
condemnation  upon  that  which  was  said  to  be 
Corban — a  thing  given  to  God  or  the  temple 
when  the  gift  rightly  belongs  to  the  support  of 
the  needy  parent.  My  Lord,  I  see  it  all  at  a 
glance  now.  I  was  very  near  thy  heart  at 
the  supper  and  at  many  other  times,  but  now 
thy  mother  whose  heart  is  pierced  through 
with  a  sword  is  leaning  upon  me  and  I  know. 
Thou  hast  built  the  home  about  the  sacredness 
of  mother — intertwining  filial  affection  and 
her  pure,  unfailing  love,  so  making  the  home 
secure.” 

It  is  now  about  nine  o’clock  in  the  morn¬ 
ing  and  they  are  at  the  place  of  crucifixion. 
The  physical  energies  of  the  young  prisoner 
standing  by  the  middle  cross  are  so  far  spent 
that  he  seems  on  the  verge  of  a  collapse.  They 
could  not  suffer  this  to  be  so.  They  must 


252  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

strain  his  physical  strength  so  he  succumbs  not 
till  they  have  inflicted  the  last  item  of  suffer¬ 
ing  their  minds  are  capable  of  conjuring  up. 
They  must  offer  him  wine  to  stimulate,  and 
add  myrrh  to  the  wine  so  as  to  enhance  its 
effect  in  bracing  and  warming  the  system. 
But  he  would  have  none  of  it.  He  knew 
there  was  sufficient  strength  left  to  endure  all 
the  suffering  meted  out  to  him  by  the  cruel 
torturers.  They  must  come  to  the  end  of  their 
string — reach  their  limit  and  then  have  noth¬ 
ing  more  that  they  can  do.  But  he  must  have 
a  clear,  unclouded  mind  to  drink  the  cup 
the  Father  had  given  him.  He  would  not 
“cheapen  his  righteousness  by  making  it  safe” 
by  calling  on  Divine  help,  and  surely  he  would 
not  accept  relief  from  stimulants  which  have 
covered  multitudes  of  mortals  with  irretriev¬ 
able  ruin. 

But  now  they  are  turning  his  face  away 
from  even  looking  upon  his  mother.  They 
strip  him  of  his  clothing,  and  the  soldiers  lay 
him  on  the  ground,  and  thrust  the  cross-beam 
beneath  his  shoulders.  Do  they  hesitate? 
The  crown  of  thorns  has  fallen  from  his  brow 
hot  with  the  fever  of  physical  agony  and  soul 
anguish.  Ah,  they  have  bruised  him  and  they 
must  pause  to  look  upon  him  whom  they  have 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  253 

bruised.  That  look  but  maddens  their  rage. 
Look,  they  replace  the  crown  of  thorns.  But 
listen.  Ah,  what  is  it?  What,  the  ring  of  a 
hammer  on  a  nail?  Yes,  many  rings  fill  the 
heavy,  choking  air  as  they  forge  the  spikes 
through  the  palms  of  his  hands  at  the  extrem¬ 
ities  of  the  cross-beam. 

But  be  quiet!  Hear!  What  spell  has 
come  over  that  watching  people?  Is  the  air 
too  heavy  to  bear  the  sounds  that  they  stand 
mute?  Ah,  there  arises  from  the  midst  of 
that  ringing  and  clanging  of  hammers  and 
nails,  utterances  laden  with  the  sweetness  of  a 
great  soul ;  yes,  sweetness  that  surpasses  that 
of  the  incense  of  the  evening  sacrifice.  These 
words  come  from  the  lips  of  him  who  is  being 
cruelly  spiked  to  the  beam  of  the  (middle 
cross:  “Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do.”  Did  high  priest  ever 
bring  a  grander  oblation  to  the  altar  than  this 
High  Priest?  What  high  priest  has  entered 
back  of  the  veil  as  he,  and  offered  once  for  all, 
his  all  in  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  humanity’s 
temple?  The  incense  of  this  oblation  is  an 
odor  of  sweet  smell  filling  humanity’s  temple. 
It  melts  the  vilest  sinner’s  heart  to  repentance 
and  worshipful  love.  It  lifts  above  the  foul¬ 
ness  of  resenting  snarl,  and  leads  the  sinner 


254 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


face  to  face  with  the  love  of  God.  This  love 
either  melts  the  stony  heart,  or  lets  him  rave 
as  a  dumb  brute — slave  to  all  that  he  con¬ 
fronts. 

But  now  the  ring  of  the  hammers  cease. 
Why?  Have  they  left  off — are  they  repenting 
of  their  dastardly  work  at  hearing  such  a 
prayer?  See,  the  chief  priests,  and  among 
them  many  eminent  Jews,  are  crowding  close 
to  the  victim.  They  have  heard  his  prayer. 
But  their  ears  are  heavy  and  they  are  quar¬ 
reling  bitterly  among  themselves.  Pilate  has 
commanded  that  a  superscription  of  the  ac¬ 
cusation  of  the  victim  be  set  up  over  his  head. 
It  was  written  in  Hebrew,  and  in  Latin,  and 
in  Greek,  so  that  all  who  passed,  no  matter 
from  what  quarter  they  be,  could  see  and  read. 
These  demagogues  had  a  tight  tussle  with 
Pilate  this  morning  before  coming  to  this 
place.  They  were  insistent  on  the  governor, 
saying,  “Write  not,  The  King  of  the  Jews; 
but,  that  he  said,  I  am  the  King  of  the  Jews.” 
But  they  have  played  with  Pilate  too  long. 
For  once  he  will  have  his  way.  He  answers 
them  once  for  all,  saying,  “What  I  have  writ¬ 
ten  I  have  written.”  Now  these  leaders  are 
at  variance  among  themselves,  for  they  are  up 
against  it.  The  soldiers  are  raising  the  cross- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  255 

beam  with  the  victim  spiked  fast  through  his 
hands  at  the  extremities,  and  securely  fixing 
it  to  the  upright  pole  which  is  already  planted. 
As  he  is  being  placed  astride  the  wooden-peg 
of  the  upright  pole  again  the  hammers  ring, 
for  they  are  spiking  his  feet  fast  to  that  crude 
pole.  Now  the  superscription  must  be  set  up 
as  Pilate  has  commanded.  “Ruthless  mur¬ 
derers,  you  cannot  always  have  your  way. 
You  must  give  in  here  and  rave.  You  cannot 
even  shun  this.  You  must  see  and  hear  peo¬ 
ple  from  every  quarter  read  it  as  they  pass  this 
way.  The  governor  would  have  it  in  the  three 
great  languages  so  that  no  one  would  miss  it. 
This  is  the  first  measure  that  is  being  turned 
back  to  you.  The  inevitable  has  its  way.” 

But  now  the  soldiers  have  him  securely 
spiked  to  the  cross,  the  crown  of  thorns  is  on 
his  head,  and  the  superscription  written 
plainly  in  Hebrew,  and  in  Latin,  and  in  Greek 
is  set  up  over  his  head.  These  soldiers  hav¬ 
ing  performed  their  work  turn  to  their  lawful 
booty  as  Roman  soldiers.  They  take  his  gar¬ 
ments  and  make  four  parts,  to  every  soldier 
a  part;  and  also  the  coat.  Now  the  coat  was 
without  seam,  woven  from  the  top  throughout. 
They  say  therefore  to  one  another,  “Let  us  not 
rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it  shall  be.” 


256 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


“Soldier,  you  would  not  spoil  a  goodly  gar¬ 
ment.  You  would  rather  that  your  comrade 
have  it  if  you  yourself  can  not  have  it  entire. 
So  in  this  way  it  will  do  some  one  good.  You 
are  sensible  in  your  rigid  economy.  But  the 
world  that  absorbs  your  interests  and  accrues 
you  good  is  confined  to  the  garments  the  pris¬ 
oner  wore.  But  here  we  must  leave  you  and 
turn  to  the  suffering  prisoner.” 

There  are  standing  by  the  cross  his  mother, 
and  his  mother’s  sister,  and  Mary  Magdalene. 
These  women  are  grouped  there  with  faces 
full  of  the  bitter  anguish  of  their  hard  pressed, 
suffering  souls.  Anguish  is  fiercely  tearing 
at  the  heart  of  the  victim  spiked  to  the  cross. 
He  forgets  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  blood 
trickling  from  his  brow  as  he  casts  his  eyes 
down  and  surveys  the  motley  crowd  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross.  They  are  going  here  and  there: 
priest,  Levite,  scribe  and  lawyer,  as  well  as 
soldier,  man  of  affairs,  and  those  who  have  no 
affairs  but  stand  and  gaze — all  are  mingling 
and  intermingling.  But  the  eye  of  Jesus 
rests  upon  one  humble  woman  weeping  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross,  and  turning  his  eyes  to  the 
young  man  with  auburn  hair  upon  whom  this 
anguish-smitten  woman  is  leaning  for  support 
he  says  unto  his  mother,  “Woman,  behold,  thy 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  257 

son!”  Bringing  his  eyes  to  rest  upon  his 
mother  again,  he  addresses  his  beloved  disci¬ 
ple  saying,  “Behold,  thy  mother!”  It  were 
as  though  he  was  saying  unto  John:  “My  be¬ 
loved  disciple,  see  my  mother  weeping  bitterly 
there.  Her  heart  is  breaking  beneath  the 
stress  of  this  hour — a  sword  is  piercing 
through  her  soul.  Thou  knowest  how  care¬ 
fully  I  provided  for  her,  and  in  what  tender 
regard  I  always  held  her.  I  made  her  a 
home.  Now  take  her  into  thine  own  home, 
and  treat  her  as  thine  own  mother  for  my 
sake.”  (Great  Christ,  we  thank  thee  for  this 
glimpse  of  tender  human  love;  where  Divine 
love  can  meet  the  human  without  a  taint  of 
lust.) 

How  beautifully  the  heart  of  that  disciple 
responds  to  that  which  forms  the  border-land 
of  earth  to  the  spotless  white  soul  of  heaven. 
“And  from  that  hour  the  disciple  took  her 
unto  his  own  home.”  “A  loving  trust,  John, 
the  one  that  Jesus  the  Nazarene  regarded  so 
dear  to  him  while  he  spent  those  thirty  quiet 
years  making  sacred  manual  toil  by  his  own 
hands  and  spreading  his  godly  benediction  of 
love  over  the  home  all  those  years.  What  a 
peculiar  privilege  to  stand  so  near  the  heart 
of  Christ  as  that.” 


258 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


But  nothing  can  hush  the  mockers’  taunts. 
He  must  bear  the  torture  as  they  pass  by  and 
wag  the  heads,  saying,  “Thou  that  destroyest 
the  temple,  and  buildest  it  in  three  days,  save 
thyself:  if  thou  art  the  Son  of  God  come  down 
from  the  cross.”  The  chief  priests  wish  to 
press  home  to  him  what  the  rabble  has  been 
saying  in  giving  him  such  a  timely  challenge. 
His  position  is  both  awkward  and  hopeless  and 
the  boastful  words  he  had  spoken  before  he 
came  into  this  hour  are  as  foolish  babbling. 
They  must  make  him  feel  it.  So  they  back 
up  the  rabble  saying,  “He  saved  others;  him¬ 
self  he  can  not  save.”  Did  these  J ewish  teach¬ 
ers  mean  to  point  out  to  that  noisy  rabble  the 
cardinal  fact  of  the  life  of  this  Nazarene? 
Hardly  so,  for  hear!  they  continue,  and  their 
thought  as  well  as  their  words  must  fall  down 
even  with  that  of  the  rabble — “He  is  the  king 
of  Israel;  let  him  now  come  down  from  the 
cross,  and  we  will  believe  on  him.  He  trust- 
eth  on  God;  let  him  deliver  him  now,  if  he 
desireth  him:  for  he  said,  I  am  the  son  of 
God.”  So  they  of  the  rabble  passing  by  wag¬ 
ging  their  heads  join  the  rulers  repeating  the 
challenge,  “Let  him  save  himself,  if  this  is  the 
Christ  of  God,  his  chosen.”  It  is  “Physician, 
heal  thyself.”  (Had  not  Jesus  told  the  disci- 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  259 

pies  it  would  be  so?)  Now  these  mockers 
cast  it  in  his  teeth  when  his  body  is  at  a  high 
pitch  of  fever  and  pain.  He  bears  it  all  and 
replies  not  to  their  harrowing  taunts.  The 
brazen  soldiers  mock,  offering  him  sour  wine, 
saying,  “If  thou  art  the  King  of  the  Jews,  save 
thyself.”  Would  even  this  Roman  dare  med¬ 
dle,  saying,  “Didst  I  not  hear  thee  make  thy 
boasts  what  thou  wouldst  do  when  thou  wert 
before  the  high  priest  this  morning?  Thou 
didst  say  something  about  coming  on  the 
clouds  of  heaven.  Now,  then,  thou  hast  a 
chance  to  make  good,  if  thou  canst  do  it.” 
Why  should  a  soldier  blurt  out  such  things? 
What  does  a  Roman  know  about  the  signifi¬ 
cance  of  being  the  King  of  the  Jews?  Poor, 
mocking  wretch,  he  wanted  to  be  in  the  push, 
and  thought  it  smart  to  jeer  with  the  rest.  He 
is  an  all  right  fellow  with  the  gang  and  must 
show  that  he  is  a  “good  fellow.”  Yes,  he 
heard  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  sar¬ 
castically  remark,  “Let  Christ,  the  King  of 
Israel,  descend  from  the  cross.”  But  listen; 
he  that  hangs  on  the  middle  cross  is  mocked 
even  by  the  one  on  the  left  cross.  This  is  a 
thief  who  rails  on  him  this  time.  He  has  a 
little  more  reason  for  his  conduct  than  has  the 
motley  crowd  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  though 


26o 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


it  is  purely  selfish,  “Art  not  thou  the  Christ? 
save  thyself  and  us.”  Poor,  wretched,  dying 
thief,  thou  hast  failed  to  catch  the  secret  of 
the  spirit  of  the  life  of  “the  Christ”  that  saves. 
J  esus  still  is  silent — not  one  resenting  word  es¬ 
capes  his  lips.  He  is  master  even  now  when 
a  vile  wretch  who  is  about  to  enter  eternity 
as  a  just  recompense  for  his  deeds  turns  his 
railing  voice  on  him  without  a  cause,  except 
it  be  that  he  hears  others  mocking,  and  thinks 
he  may  as  well  have  it  out  on  somebody  in 
ending  his  miserable  existence. 

Have  all  turned  mockers — priests,  scribes 
and  Pharisees,  rulers,  soldiers,  common  peo¬ 
ple,  and  even  thief?  No,  be  attentive,  there 
comes  a  scathing  rebuke  from  the  one  who 
hangs  on  the  right-hand  cross  to  the  one  who 
vilely  mocks  from  the  cross  on  the  left.  A 
thief  speaks  this  time  also,  not  only  in  fiery 
denunciation  and  biting  rebuke  in  face  of  such 
unwarranted  vileness,  but  in  a  humble  rever¬ 
ential  spirit  he  lifts  his  prayer  out  of  his  burn¬ 
ing  needs  to  the  One  hanging  upon  the  middle 
cross.  See — he  turns  his  head  and  addresses 
his  fellow  in  like  condemnation,  saying,  “Dost 
thou  not  even  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the 
same  condemnation?  And  we  indeed  justly; 
for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of  our  deeds: 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  261 

but  this  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss.”  It 
were  as  though  he  were  saying,  “I  am  aston¬ 
ished  at  thee  joining  this  band  of  mockers 
against  him  who  is  innocent — even  daring  to 
do  so  at  this  critical  moment.  Dost  thou  not 
fear  God  since  thou  art  hanging  on  that  cross 
justly?  What  right  hast  thou  to  ask  to  be 
delivered  from  paying  thy  penalty?”  At 
this  the  thief  hanging  upon  the  right-hand 
cross  turns  his  face  to  the  One  crowned  with 
thorns  and  held  in  vile  derision,  and  lifts  up 
his  voice  in  a  meek,  petitioning  spirit,  saying, 

“Jesus,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  in 

* 

thy  kingdom.”  (Had  all  others  given  up 
hope  that  all  was  lost?  certainly  this  thief 
had  not.  No  matter  what  others  thought 
this  thief  who  keenly  feels  his  own  urgent 
needs  knows  him  as  Lord  and  Saviour  even 
though  nailed  to  the  cross  and  physically 
as  helpless  as  the  petitioning  thief  himself. 
Even  his  disciples  may  go  their  way  saying, 
“We  trusted  that  it  had  been  he  which  should 
have  redeemed  Israel.”  (“But  we  were  mis¬ 
taken.”)  Such  despondent  sighing  was  not 
the  kind  that  could  bind  this  thief  in  hope¬ 
less  helplessness.  But  this  thief  in  his  ex- 
tremest  need  knows  that  this  is  He  who  would 
redeem  the  soul.  If  he  did  not  believe  this, 


262 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


his  petition  would  be  meaningless,  since  he  is 
at  the  very  brink  of  death,  and  he  neither  asks 
nor  expects  to  be  delivered  from  physical  death 
either  at  that  very  hour.)  Is  the  petitioner 
disappointed?  Does  the  One  on  the  middle 
cross  to  whom  the  petition  is  directed  still  keep 
his  lips  sealed  in  silence?  Was  it  not  so  all 
through  that  jeering  mockery?  But  was  such 
the  case  with  the  Nazarene  when  he  walked 
through  the  avenues  of  service  ministering  to 
the  needs  of  men?  Will  he  be  consistent  with 
his  conduct  then?  Will  he  break  his  silence? 
Here  the  needs  of  a  wretched  lost  man  is  ap¬ 
pealing,  and  Christ  opens  his  lips  to  meet  those 
needs.  He  towers  above  the  agony  of  pain  of 
soul  stress  to  give  consolation  to  a  soul  that 
has  appealed  in  its  extremest  need.  At  last 
one  soul  found  the  way  the  Christ  was  going, 
and  that  soul  met  up  with  him  before  the 
very  door  of  death,  and  a  thief  too  at  that. 
Ah,  the  words  are  very  tender  and  mellow 
with  hope,  “Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  to-day 
shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise.”  How  it 
lifted  the  burden  from  off  that  soul,  and 
poured  into  the  wounds  of  that  violated  con¬ 
science  the  healing  oil  of  peace  and  consola¬ 
tion. 

Now  it  was  about  three  o’clock  in  afternoon 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  263 

and  darkness  came  over  the  whole  land  and 
continued  until  six  o’clock. 

Had  this  Man  of  sorrows  and  afflicted  with 
griefs  forgotten  the  hard  demands  of  his 
agony?  He  may  rise  above  excruciating  pain 
to  think  of  the  good  and  comfort  of  others; 
but  surely  the  body  must  succumb  in  time  to 
such  exacting  pressure.  The  soul  may  rise 
above  its  crushing  and  stress  in  saving  others, 
but  when  the  crashing  avalanche  moves  on 
even  that  soul  too  must  be  covered  until  the 
crushing  mass  has  ground  and  chiseled  its 
way  over  its  groaning  heart.  Pressure  with¬ 
out  and  stress  within  are  at  work  upon  the 
great  soul  of  Christ,  as  death  is  drawing  its 
ugly  scowl  over  the  face  of  things.  Ah,  the 
shadow  moves  before  it  as  the  shadow  before 
the  moving  cloud.  Physical  agony  intense; 
fiendish  cries  of  mockers  fall  upon  his  suffer¬ 
ing  soul;  insulting  jeers  from  those  very  men 
whom  he  sought  to  lead  into  the  way  of  life. 
Ingratitude  as  a  ravishing  beast  bore  down 
heavily  upon  his  soul,  as  he  saw  himself  not 
only  forsaken  but  actually  derided  by  those 
upon  whom  he  had  poured  blessings  as  re¬ 
freshing  showers.  The  curtains  of  loneliness 
rolled  down  thick  and  heavy.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  very  heavens  are  closing  in  upon 


264 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


him  as  a  great  prison-cell  of  brass.  Nothing 
was  there  to  relieve  the  tension.  Out  of  the 
depths  of  such  sublime  loneliness  he  cries 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  “Eli,  Eli,  lama 
sabachthani?  that  is,  My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me.” 

Is  it  posible  that  everything  must  crush  in 
upon  such  a  soul,  so  full  of  innocence  and  love. 
Is  the  Universe  conspiring  together  in  one 
sweep  of  accumulated  power  to  blot  it  out? 
All  desertion  and  suffering  is  as  naught  if  he 
can  keep  his  mind  unclouded,  fixed  upon  the 
mind  of  Heaven,  but  when  the  body  is  ema¬ 
ciated  and  the  spirit  is  so  completely  crushed 
down  with  that  which  the  bodily  thrusts  in 
upon  it  without  mercy  or  sparing,  filling  it 
hot  with  anguish,  the  sufferer  is  forced  to 
reckon  with  these  things.  Physical  strength 
after  the  natural  order  must  give.  It  forces 
its  demands. 

He  opens  his  quivering  lips.  He  has  en¬ 
dured  and  suffered  this  stinging,  breaking  an¬ 
guish  for  a  long  while  and  now  it  forces  ut¬ 
terance.  He  didn’t  intend  to  let  it  pass  his 
lips,  either — but  it  is  not  a  complaint,  some¬ 
how  it  has  forced  itself  out,  “I  thirst.”  (This 
is  so  with  all  the  crucified.  He  suffers  thirst 
as  he  was  flesh  and  suffered  all  the  while.  He 


How  He  Took  Up  His  Cross  265 

told  us  this  to  make  sure  we  understood.) 
H  as  that  soldier  who  has  mocked  any  pity 
now?  Ah,  he  runs,  dips  a  sponge  in  sour 
wine,  places  it  on  the  end  of  a  reed  and  lifts 
it  to  the  lips  of  the  suffering  Man.  When  he 
tastes  the  sour  wine  he  says,  “It  is  finished.” 
“My  work  is  finished  and  all  the  suffering  that 
is  portioned  therewith.” 

Now  the  thick  veiled  cloud  begins  to  with¬ 
draw  its  shadow  from  his  soul.  The  whole 
burden  is  shifted.  His  work  is  completed. 
It  all  rests  with  God.  “Father,  into  thy  hands 
I  commend  my  spirit”;  and  saying  this  he 
gives  up  the  ghost. 

The  veil  of  the  temple  is  rent  in  two  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom — the  Holy  Place  and  the 
Holy  of  Holies  become  one  great  Holy  Place 
for  this  great  High  Priest  has  entered  back  of 
the  veil  once  for  all  and  has  sprinkled  his  own 
blood  upon  the  mercy-seat — rending  the  veil 
in  twain. 

The  sun  covers  his  face  as  with  sackcloth. 
In  the  midst  of  the  darkness  the  earth  sends 
forth  a  shudder  that  shakes  the  insolent  crea¬ 
tures  of  her  lap  as  though  to  say — Were  it  not 
for  the  love  of  him  who  prayed  for  them  who 
were  spiking  him  to  the  tree,  she  would  swal¬ 
low  them  up  into  the  depth  of  her  bowels  that 


266 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


they  might  never  more  mar  her  fair  forms  and 
cover  her  with  revolting  shame  and  ignominy. 
The  blood  of  this  Man  rests  mid  thick  dark¬ 
ness  upon  the  heads  of  the  mockers. 

In  the  midst  of  this  awful  frown  of  Nature, 
do  you  hear  even  the  centurion  who  is  over 
that  band  of  mocking  soldiers  who  did  the 
crucifying,  say  (All  are  consenting  with  him), 
“Certainly  this  was  a  righteous  man.”  That 
centurion  and  they  that  were  with  him  watch¬ 
ing  Jesus  must  make  it  even  more  emphatic 
mid  the  tremors  of  the  chiding,  outraged 
earth,  saying,  “Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God.” 


VI 


HOW  HE  CAME  FORTH  AGAIN 


* 


f 


THEY  BAR  HIS  TOMB 


“And  all  the  multitudes  that  came  together 
to  this  sight ,  when  they  beheld  the  things  that 
were  done ,  returned  smiting  their  breasts ,  and 
all  his  acquaintance ,  and  the  women  that  fol¬ 
lowed  with  him  from  Galilee ,  stood  afar  off , 
seeing  these  things.” 

JESUS  the  Nazarene  has  died.  Some 
hearts  are  bleeding  and  open  as  the  deep 
silence  stretches  itself  across  the  brow  of  mor¬ 
tal  things.  The  women  linger  still  about  the 
cross.  There  two  men  go  with  bowed  heads, 
talking  with  each  other.  They  are  of  the  rul¬ 
ers.  Others  of  the  crowd  are  dispersing  here 
and  there — some  with  heads  bowed  and  de¬ 
jected,  and  some  wearing  a  proud  scorn  upon 
their  countenance.  These  are  saying  some¬ 
thing  about  it  being  the  Sabbath  on  the  mor¬ 
row  and  it  would  not  be  lawful  to  let  the 
bodies  hang  on  the  crosses.  These,  with 
scorning  brows,  are  headed  in  the  direction  of 
the  two  men  with  dejected  countenance.  Those 

269 


270 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


two  sorrowing  men  are  wearing  garments  sim¬ 
ilar  to  those  of  them  who  are  muttering  un¬ 
der  their  breath  about  it  being  the  Sabbath  on 
the  morrow.  These  men  of  sad  countenance 
are  Jewish  officers — members  of  the  Sanhe¬ 
drin.  They  are  headed  for  Pilate’s  palace. 
Nicodemus  counsels  with  Joseph  of  Ari- 
mathaea,  saying,  “When  you  go  in  to  ask 
Pilate  for  the  body  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  as¬ 
sist  you.”  As  these  goodly  men  come  into 
the  presence  of  the  governor  and  Joseph 
makes  his  request,  Pilate  marvels,  saying, 
“Yes,  if  he  be  dead  already?”  Pilate  calls  in 
the  centurion  but  he  wishes  to  avoid  leaving 
any  hint  that  he  doubts  for  a  moment  the 
veracity  of  this  most  noble  Jewish  ruler.  He 
just  wishes  to  ascertain  how  long  a  time  he 
has  been  dead — whether  it  had  been  any  great 
while.  He  is  now  convinced,  and  grants  the 
corpse  to  Joseph.  These  two  sad  men  depart, 
having  secured  their  object.  Scarcely  are 
they  gone  when  the  others  come  to  ask  that 
the  bodies  should  not  remain  on  the  cross  upon 
the  Sabbath  (for  the  day  of  that  Sabbath  was 
a  high  day).  They  ask  Pilate  that  their  legs 
might  be  broken,  and  the  bodies  taken  away. 

The  watch  at  the  cross  stir  as  the  soldiers 
from  the  governor  arrive.  A  soldier  lifts  his 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  271 

spear  and  touches  the  quivering  flesh  of  the 
thief  on  the  left  of  the  middle  cross.  There 
is  a  sudden  twitch,  and  a  sigh  comes  from 
the  fevered  lips.  Then  with  a  brutal  blow 
of  the  hammer  he  breaks  the  legs,  and  the  vic¬ 
tim  yields  a  groan  and  drops  his  head  in  death. 
Then  they  approach  the  thief  on  the  right  and 
break  his  legs;  but  merely  a  passing  sigh  es¬ 
capes  as  his  spirit  flees  to  Paradise  to  join  his 
Lord,  who  is  waiting  to  receive  him  there. 
When  they  come  to  the  middle  cross  they  see 
that  he  is  dead  already,  and  brake  not  his  legs. 
Pilate  could  not  believe  his  ears  when  told 
by  Joseph  that  Jesus  was  already  dead.  And 
is  it  so  that  this  soldier  can  not  believe  his 
eyes?  He  saw  that  he  was  dead  already  and 
brake  not  his  legs;  howbeit  the  soldier  with 
a  spear  pierced  his  side,  “and  straightway 
there  came  out  blood  and  water.”  He  is  dead 
— of  that  the  soldier  is  certain  now,  or  did  he 
do  the  thing  out  of  sheer  brutality?  That  is 
a  question.  But  how  about  the  blood  and 
water  that  straightway  came  out  of  his  pierced 
side?  See  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  unto 
his  sorrow?  Did  he  not  tell  the  chosen  three 
in  the  garden,  “My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrow¬ 
ful  even  unto  death?”  Could  his  heart  be 
breaking  under  all  these  experiences  which 


272 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


call  out  more  than  human  endurance,  and  his 
great  heart  not  be  broken  so  that  he  gave  up 
the  ghost?  Surely  he  died  of  a  broken  heart 
and  when  the  soldier  pierced  his  side  straight¬ 
way  there  came  out  blood  and  water.  Not  a 
bone  of  him  is  broken.  They  look  on  him 
whom  they  pierced.  So  the  scripture  is  ful¬ 
filled.  They  must  wonder  what  manner  of 
man  this  is. 

But  those  who  would  not  brave  his  rescue 
while  alive,  now  take  him  from  the  cross.  In 
spotless  linen  his  body  is  wound,  and  borne 
by  tender  hands  to  the  peaceful  garden  nearby, 
to  the  new  hewn  tomb  in  the  rock;  yes,  a  tomb 
in  which  man  had  never  yet  lain.  Here  they 
laid  the  body  of  this  great  Teacher  in  Israel 
to  whom  Nicodemus  came  by  night  to  inquire 
the  way  of  life.  “Ah,  Nicodemus,  thou  didst 
behold  this  blood-thirsty  transaction  on  the 
part  of  thy  comrades.  How  couldst  thou  help 
but  seal  it  with  an  act  showing  thy  disap¬ 
proval,  if  not  disgust?  What  of  the  spices 
that  thou  didst  bring  as  a  token  of  the  high 
regard  in  which  thou  didst  hold  this  Nazarene 
teacher?”  Ah,  the  sweet  fragrance  of  the 
spices  that  are  wound  in  the  linen  with  the 
body  is  but  a  hint  of  the  sweetness  of  the  life 
that  has  gone  into  paradise.  Yes,  Mary’s  ala- 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  273 

baster  cruse  was  but  the  breaking  of  a  heart 
over  full  of  love  to  pour  it  out  in  profusion 
upon  the  one  whom  she  loved.  Jesus  then 
said,  “She  has  wrought  a  good  work.  She  has 
done  this  against  the  day  of  my  burial.”  Truly 
this  day  the  heart  of  Jesus  was  broken,  like 
the  alabaster  cruse  to  pour  his  love  in  profu¬ 
sion  upon  the  world.  This  fragrance  of  the 
love  of  Christ  bursts  forth  from  his  tomb,  fill¬ 
ing  the  world  with  resplendent  hope,  even 
that  from  the  full  flower  of  the  resurrection. 
But  how  little  these  knew  of  that  this  day. 
Is  the  Sun  lowering  as  the  forms  as  mute  as 
statues  are  moving  from  the  lonely  garden? 
Joseph  rolls  a  great  stone  to  the  mouth  of  the 
sepulchre,  and  departs.  The  faithful  women 
are  still  sitting  over  against  the  sepulchre. 
They  are  noting  carefully  how  everything  is 
done.  They  have  not  paid  their  last  tribute 
yet.  The  sun  is  casting  its  last  gleams  on 
yonder  heights  of  hanging  cliffs.  It  is  time 
to  withdraw,  for  the  sinking  sun  ushers  in 
the  Sabbath.  Yes,  night  rolls  down  her  thick, 
black  curtains,  shrouding  the  scene  of  that 
day’s  tragedy  from  the  sight  of  mortal  eye. 
From  hence  forth  it  must  live  in  the  imagina¬ 
tions  of  men;  in  some  pale  as  a  misty  halo,  in 
others  acutely  vivid.  Yes,  night  shrouded  the 


274 


The  Silent  Nazarene 


deserted  in  exceeding  quiet,  that  the  weary, 
broken  body  of  the  Master  might  sleep  and 
rest  from  its  manifold  labors,  and  the  pressing, 
yes,  crushing  strain  of  this  tragedy  of  trage¬ 
dies,  for  this  body  had  to  hold  the  suffering 
of  the  greatest  soul  that  ever  inhabited  mortal 
flesh.  No  wonder  it  was  racked  and  broken. 
How  could  it  suffer  with  such  a  soul  without 
bursting  beneath  the  strain?  Well  could  the 
night  cover  it  with  its  sheltering  wings  that  it 
might  peacefully  rest.  The  restless  multitude 
seeking  some  sign  could  not  crowd  in  here, 
and  break  this  peaceful  slumber;  neither 
could  those  craving  ambition  disturb  his 
quiet  rest;  no,  not  even  those  who  sought  the 
teacher  could  wake  him  from  his  pillow;  ah, 
the  disciples  are  full  of  fears  and  apprehen¬ 
sions  but  they  can  not  wake  him  now  and  have 
him  quiet  them.  Yes,  now  their  hearts  are 
overflowing  with  the  floods  of  sorrows,  but 
they  must  remember  what  he  has  said,  for 
they  can  not  walk  to  his  couch  and  ask  him  for 
comfort  now.  Then,  too,  the  jealousy  of  the 
treacherous  Pharisee  dare  not  snatch  away  any 
of  his  peaceful  moments  now;  they  can’t 
thrust  themselves  in  upon  him  and  break  his 
slumber  now;  their  wily  devices  can  not  en¬ 
trap  him  so  that  he  needs  to  withdraw  from 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  275 

his  native  land.  Ah,  he  sleeps  unmolested 
right  in  the  heart  of  it  now.  What  can  ex¬ 
ceed  the  sublime  grandeur  about  the  silent 
tomb  of  Christ  as  restful  quiet  wraps  this 
lonely  spot,  where  rests  the  broken  frame  of 
Christ  from  the  mad  fury  that  has  just  sub¬ 
sided  by  the  closing  of  his  eyes  in  the  gentle 
sleep  of  death  that  none  dare  break.  Yes,  the 
hush  of  raving  mortals  is  very  quiet  and  still 
beneath  the  cover  of  that  night  when  suns, 
moons  and  planets  could  well  be  veiled  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  The  earth  could  well 
drape  her  face  in  a  deep  veil  both  to  hide  her 
blushing  forms  from  the  rest  of  the  universe, 
and  to  conceal  her  mourning  countenance 
from  the  stare  and  the  gaze  of  the  shining 
worlds  about  her:  what  can  atone  for  her  rav¬ 
ing  mortals ;  what  can  replace  the  purest  that 
has  been  snatched  from  her  bosom? 

But  the  rising  sun  must  disperse  her  lin¬ 
gering,  drooping  clouds,  for  it  must  lay  bare 
more  of  the  folly  of  mortals  that  was  heatedly 
concocting  that  very  night.  The  chief  priests 
and  the  Pharisees!  are  come  together  unto 
Pilate  that  Sabbath  morning.  For  what? 
Can  not  their  jealous  ravings  cease  when  they 
have  crushed  the  life  from  out  the  body?  But 
hear  what  these  men  say  in  petitioning  the 


27  6 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


governor:  “Sir,  we  remember  that  that  de¬ 
ceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet  alive,  ‘After 
three  days  I  shall  rise  again.’  Command 
therefore  that  the  sepulchre  be  made  sure  until 
the  third  day,  lest  his  disciples  come  by  night 
and  steal  him  away,  and  say  unto  the  people, 
‘He  is  risen  from  the  dead’;  so  that  the  last 
error  shall  be  worse  than  the  first.”  Dare 
Pilate,  who  had  been  so  wrought  up  and  en¬ 
slaved  by  this  very  voice  the  day  before  still 
continue  to  commit  himself?  Hear  him 
speak  for  himself,  “Ye  have  a  watch;  go  your 
way,  make  it  as  sure  as  you  can.”  Was  Pilate 
afraid  he  would  be  made  ridiculous,  should 
the  body  disappear  out  of  its  place,  or  did  the 
fear  of  the  multitude  still  lash  him? 

But  pray,  how  could  these  pious  Jews  ask 
for  a  watch  upon  the  Sabbath  day,  and  ap¬ 
proach  a  Roman  at  that  to  offer  their  plea? 
How  could  they  violate  what  they  had  so  scru¬ 
pulously  guarded?  Was  not  this  very  thing 
the  chief  charge  brought  against  the  Naza- 
rene?  Was  it  not  in  this  that  they  persistently 
tried  to  entrap  him?  “Inconsistent  mortals, 
why  wade  through  and  trample  under  foot 
scruples  whenever  it  suits  and  is  convenient 
to  do  so?  It  more  unclothes  your  mad  jeal¬ 
ousy,  and  lays  bare  your  real  motive  that  mur- 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  277 

dered  this  great  Teacher  who  not  only  rose 
above  you,  but  by  his  very  life  made  your 
hollow  formalism  ineffective  and  caused  it  to 
lose  its  grip  upon  the  hearts  of  men.  In  the 
death  grapple  you  are  doing  desperate  things. 
But  your  hold  is  lost  and  you  are  surely  sink¬ 
ing,  and  that  very  fast,  pulling  your  complex 
niceties  into  the  grave  with  you.  In  your 
madness  you  have  just  made  it  possible  for 
this  Man’s  power  to  take  the  world.” 

Lo,  what  is  entering  the  gate?  Do  you  see 
the  Sun  gleaming  upon  shields  and  lances?  It 
is  the  guard  to  make  sure  the  sepulchre.  See 
those  dignified  Pharisees,  whose  haughty  bear¬ 
ing  is  crying  everywhere,  “Touch  me  not;  I 
am  holier  than  thou.”  See  those  demagogues 
violate  the  Sabbath  even  beyond  the  asking 
for  a  watch.  They  can’t  trust  the  sealing  of 
the  rock  to  the  soldier  guard,  but  they  must 
go  and  seal  it  with  their  own  hands.  Why  is 
not  the  watch  sufficient  without  a  sealing  of 
the  rock  in  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre?  What 
friend  would  dare  brave  these  Roman  soldiers 
to  steal  the  body  away?  “Ah,  Pharisee,  a  rest¬ 
less  suspicion  is  all  over  you.  You  can’t  trust 
yourselves.  You  feel  as  if  you  are  not  done 
with  this  Man  yet.  You  do  not  know  how  to 
put  aside  this  dread  that  is  overawing  you. 


278  The  Silent  Nazar ene 

You  are  constantly  apprehending  alarm. 
Something  forces  you  to  look  for  something 
to  happen  on  the  third  day;  something  to  take 
place  that  will  make  you  ridiculous  in  the  eyes 
of  men.  Folly,  folly,  unbridled  folly,  to  seal 
the  grave  to  keep  Christ  in.  This  Man  has 
walked  over  all  your  follies  up  to  this  time  and 
he  will  walk  over  this  one  also;  yes,  he  will 
walk  out  of  this  grave  sealed  with  mortal’s 
folly.  How  long  will  ye  hold  the  instru¬ 
ments  of  death  gleaming  in  the  brightness  of 
the  sun  in  bold  defiance  to  the  hand  of  Heaven 
and  to  the  decrees  of  right?” 

The  Resurrection 

As  Night  rolls  back  her  curtains  upon  that 
Sabbath  in  which  the  Prince  of  Glory  slept  to 
rest  his  weary  broken  frame,  and  it  begins  to 
dawn  towards  the  first  day  of  the  week,  new 
light  breaks  gently  upon  the  world — Jesus 
comes  forth  from  the  grave.  This  Jesus  has 
put  all  under  his  feet  and  now  he  wraps  the 
shroud  of  death  about  the  empty  tomb.  Yes, 
the  earth  must  tremble  as  the  hand  of  heaven 
cuts  asunder  the  bars  of  death.  Ah,  a  mighty 
quaking  and  a  shudder  runs  through  the 
earth  as  Heaven  opens  her  door  to  let  her  angel 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  279 

down  to  roll  away  the  stone  that  mortal  hands 
have  sealed  into  the  mouth  of  the  tomb  in 
which  the  frame  of  Christ  had  slept.  Yes, 
Heaven’s  messenger  descends,  rolls  back  the 
stone  and  sits  upon  it;  as  if  to  say,  “The  door 
of  death  is  open,  and  open  forever,  for  Heaven 
has  placed  immortality  right  over  it.  What 
mortal  madness  dare  shut  it,  while  Heaven’s 
messenger  with  shining  countenance  like 
lightning,  and  raiment  as  white  as  snow, 
stands  guard  over  it.  See  the  keepers  who 
have  stood  guard  over  the  sealed  tomb,  shake 
because  of  him.  What  a  fear  falls  over  them. 
It  is  as  the  pall  of  death  itself.  Ah,  verily, 
they  become  as  dead  men.  As  the  hand  of 
Heaven  is  blinding  their  eyes  that  they  might 
not  look  upon  the  spotless  form  of  Christ, 
there  is  something  exceedingly  strange  to  mor¬ 
tals  taking  place  within  that  tomb,  Christ  is 
rising  from  his  rock-hewn  couch  as  from  the 
peaceful  slumbers  of  the  night.  It  is  an  early 
rising  that  morning,  of  all  the  earth’s  the  best. 
He  places  the  linen  clothes  to  themselves,  and 
folds  the  napkin  in  its  place;  he  makes  his  bed 
ere  he  leaves  his  chamber  where  sweet  slum¬ 
ber  has  refreshed  his  wasted  frame.  By  so 
doing  he  tells  mortals  not  to  dread  this  couch; 
but  lay  themselves  down  for  peaceful  rest  till 


28o 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


they  awake  in  the  eternal  morning  of  immor¬ 
tality.  Yes,  Jesus  walks  out  from  the  tomb  as 
undisturbed  as  one  who  walks  from  his  couch 
after  peaceful  slumbers.  He  is  ready  to  greet 
his  friends  he  meets  that  morning. 

But  let  us  see.  What  of  the  guard?  Heaven 
lifts  the  pall  of  fear  which  had  made  their 
bodies  as  rigid  as  though  in  death.  They  re¬ 
cover  from  their  paralysis,  and  hasten  to  the 
city  to  tell  the  chief  priests  all  the  things  that 
were  done.  Where  is  human  folly  now? 
Has  it  not  been  enough  already?  Have  not 
mortals  been  entangled  deeply  enough  in  its 
meshes?  But  lo,  they  assemble,  chief  priests 
and  elders.  For  what?  To  stifle  this  which 
they  could  not  cut  down  with  death?  What 
madness?  Yes,  to  try  to  make  a  hush  with  a 
lie?  Inconsistent  mortals,  you  are  fanning 
the  flame.  Hear  them  as  they  whisper  confi¬ 
dentially  to  the  members  of  that  guard:  “Say 
ye,  His  disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole  him 
away  while  we  slept.  And  if  this  come  to  the 
governor’s  ears,  we  will  persuade  him,  and 
secure  you.”  Is  it  possible  that  the  chief 
priests  and  elders  were  so  sure  they  could  do 
anything  they  pleased  with  the  Roman  gover¬ 
nor?  They  know  they  have  him,  and  they 
can  ask  anything  of  him,  even  the  lives  of  un- 


28i 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again 

faithful  Roman  soldiers.  What  would  Caesar 
say  about  this  if  it  came  to  his  ears?  But 
Pilate  was  unmanned  and  these  Jewish  offi¬ 
cers  knew  it.  They  knew  they  could  tie  his 
hand  whenever  they  were  pleased  to  do  so. 
So  they  gave  large  money  unto  the  soldier. 
These  poor,  blind  wretches,  puppets  of  the 
wily  hands  of  crafty  rulers,  took  the  money, 
and  did  as  they  were  taught;  and  this  saying 
is  commonly  reported  among  the  Jews  until 
this  day;  and  to  this  day,  too,  though  these 
very  Jews  are  scattered  to  the  very  corners  of 
the  earth,  whilst  this  Man  against  whom  they 
raised  this  lie  is  taking  the  world. 

The  Waiting 

The  darkness  rests  on  Olive’s  brow  as 
though  the  peace  of  earth  has  knit  its  brows 
in  one  great  solemn  thought.  Does  this  great 
peaceful  spot  now  wear  a  scowl?  Or  are 
hearts  clothed  in  deep  reflection  turning  to 
this  sacred  place  where  Christ  was  wont  to 
kneel  in  secret  prayer? 

The  restful  Sabbath  breaks?  The  innocent 
toiler  from  his  plow  may  rest  his  weary  frame, 
but  ere  last  night’s  setting  sun  hasted  to  dip 
itself  in  the  great  blue  billows  of  the  sea  those 


282 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


who  lost  their  all  must  wait  in  grief  as  the 
great  sun  slowly  climbs  the  heavens  and  there 
at  zenith  height  it  seems  to  stand  and  mock 
the  hurried  fears  of  anxious,  restless  mortals 
who  constantly  turn  to  see  it  in  the  west  but 
painfully  slow  is  its  descent  from  its  throne 
to  the  great  surging  billows  of  the  deep.  But 
sink  he  must  though  he  may  seem  to  press  a 
lagging  year  within  his  daily  path. 

Night  hangs  heavy  about  three  faithful 
women’s  hearts.  The  spices  were  made  ready 
ere  the  sun  went  down  on  yesterday’s  sad 
tragedy.  Night’s  veil  lingered  as  if  some 
giant  drone  now  held  his  sluggish  hand  upon 
the  curtain  and  refused  to  be  roused  from  out 
his  drowsy  slumbers. 

At  the  end  of  the  Sabbath  as  it  begins  to 
dawn  toward  the  first  day  of  the  week;  as  the 
countless  forms  begin  to  creep  from  out  the 
shadows,  three  faithful  women  turn  toward 
a  peaceful  garden.  They  move  as  quietly  as 
the  light  and  darkness  move  across  their  wait¬ 
ing  hearts.  But  now  they  speak,  “Who  shall 
roll  us  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre?”  They  turn  into  the  garden  as 
the  sun  is  just  rising  from  out  the  chambers 
of  the  night.  “What,  O  Sun,  to  witness  faith¬ 
ful  women  anointing  the  body  of  their  sacred 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  283 

dead?”  Ah,  faithful  women,  look.  The 
stone  is  rolled  away,  though  it  is  very  great. 
You  have  prepared  the  spices.  Heaven  says, 
It  is  enough;  your  feeble  strength  may  not  be 
able  to  do  more;  nay,  not  even  roll  this  stone 
away.  Heaven  requires  this  not  of  you.  The 
hand  of  Heaven  will  unseal,  and  roll  away  the 
stone  of  your  difficulty  every  time  if  you  will 
but  go  forward  and  do  what  you  can.  But  if 
you  falter  and  lament  the  grave  will  remain 
sealed  before  your  face.  Enter  the  tomb,  O 
Faithful,  for  there  Heaven’s  messenger  awaits 
you.” 

Lo,  it  is  so.  A  young  man  in  white  now 
speaks:  “Be  not  amazed.  Ye  seek  Jesus, 
the  Nazarene,  who  hath  been  crucified:  he  is 
risen;  he  is  not  here.  Behold  the  place 
where  they  laid  him.”  The  message  was 
given  to  the  women  from  the  mouth  of 
Heaven,  now  they  were  to  go  and  bear  it  to 
the  disciples.  An  angel  bids  mortal  man  to 
serve.  “But  go  tell  his  disciples  and  Peter. 
He  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee;  there  shall 
ye  see  him,  as  he  said  unto  you.”  But  these 
messengers  are  mortal  still.  Well  is  it  that 
Heaven  leaves  them  so.  They  go  out,  and 
flee  from  the  tomb;  a  trembling  and  astonish¬ 
ment  had  come  upon  them.  They  say  noth- 


284 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


ing  to  any  one,  for  they  were  afraid.  Did 
the  message  stop  at  the  empty  tomb?  Had 
Heaven  paralysed  earth  in  seeking  to  give 
the  message  direct?  Was  all  to  stop  at  this 
gateway  hopeless,  though  transcendent  hope 
had  entered  through  it  into  the  world? 
Where  mortal  vision  ends,  did  not  Heaven 
forge  the  link  that  would  make  the  chain  com¬ 
plete?  Did  not  God  see  its  need,  and  put  it 
in  its  proper  place?  He  who  trusts  will  be 
content  to  pass  the  mortal  shadows  till  he  sees 
the  Christ  who  has  passed  that  way.  Let  us 
see  how  Mary  Magdalene  saw  the  Christ, 
and  how  she  quickly  bore  the  message  to  others 
of  mortal  kind. 

The  lingering  Mary  stands  without  the 
tomb  and  weeps.  She  stoops  and  looks  within 
and  sees  the  angel  vision,  but  still  an  empty 
tomb  to  her.  “Woman,  why  weepest  thou?” 
is  the  question  from  angel  lips  within  the 
empty  vault.  The  heart  is  the  mouth  in  giv¬ 
ing  answer  to  this  question.  “Because  they 
have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not 
where  they  have  laid  him.”  But  turn,  Mary, 
a  stranger  is  at  your  side — the  gardener? 
Surely  he  can  answer  well  the  question  you 
seek  to  know.  Hear,  he  speaks:  “Woman, 
why  weepest  thou?  Whom  seekest  thou?” 


285 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again 

“Mary,  why  not  ask  this  questioner  who  he 
is?  But  no,  your  own  question  is  too  burning 
for  that.  You  don’t  care  to  know  who  the 
living  might  be  that  address  you;  you  only 
care  to  know  where  the  body  of  a  dead  friend 
is.  You  take  it  for  granted  that  this  is  the 
gardener.  There  is  no  cowering  weakness  in 
the  sadness  that  prevails,  but  majestic  strength 
that  seeks  to  claim  its  own.  This  Mary  is  not 
afraid  to  ask  him  to  restore  her  sacred  dead  to 
its  proper  resting  place:  “Sir,  if  thou  hast 
borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid 
him,  and  I  will  take  him  away.”  But  listen, 
this  stranger  simply  says,  “Mary,”  and  she 
turns  herself,  and  says,  “Rabboni.”  By  a 
single  word-accent  the  riddle  is  solved,  the 
question  is  answered,  the  mystery  is  unveiled; 
she  knows  her  Lord.  Her  first  impulse  is  to 
touch  him,  and  worship  him.  Was  it  not  he 
that  had  come  to  her  when  steeped  in  sin  to 
meet  her  greatest  needs,  and  now  he  pulls 
back  the  veil  and  lets  her  look  upon  the  im¬ 
mortal,  arrayed  in  its  spotless  purity.  It  is  a 
precious  glimpse;  but  hear! 

“Touch  me  not;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended 
unto  my  Father.”  Is  the  mortal  not  to  touch 
the  immortal  pure  lest  the  mortal  enter  the 
immortal  pure  ere  the  message  is  borne  to 


286 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


others  of  mortal  kind.  The  Same  who  bids 
Mary  not  touch  him  bids  her  go  tell  the  dis¬ 
ciples.  “But  go  unto  my  brethren,  and  say 
to  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your 
Father;  and  to  my  God  and  your  God.”  It 
were  as  though  he  said:  “Mary,  this  can’t 
stop  with  a  touch,  neither  can  it  stay  with  the 
things  of  the  flesh;  the  work  is  not  done  yet; 
yes,  it  must  end  in  God.  And  God  is  a  Spirit. 
Have  I  not  been  constantly  leading  you  so? 
Spiritual  things  are  not  to  be  touched  as  you 
in  the  flesh  are  so  prone  to  think.  Would  you 
understand  this  mystery,  then  first  carry  the 
message  as  best  you  can  to  my  brethren  who 
are  mortal  as  you  are,  for  otherwise  you  would 
not  be  able  to  bear  the  message  to  them.”  And 
so  the  message  goes  when  each  has  finished 
his  work  and  ascends  with  Christ,  and  leaves 
the  message  with  mortal  kind  still  to  tell. 

To  tell  her  message,  Mary  speeds ; 

Inspired  by  Christ  who  knew  her  needs. 

O  what  a  lonely  walk.  Two  walking  to¬ 
gether  and  are  sad.  They  have  a  common 
cause  for  sorrow.  For  listen,  they  are  softly 
whispering  to  each  other.  Yes,  they  are  ques¬ 
tioning  together.  Do  you  hear  now  and  then 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  287 

a  troubled  accent  that  betrays  a  very  perplex¬ 
ing  situation?  Lo,  now  there  is  a  stranger 
drawing  near.  They  are  too  busily  engaged 
in  conversation  to  notice  him.  But  now  they 
stand  still  and  look  sad.  This  stranger  speaks: 
“What  manner  of  communications  are  these 
that  ye  have  one  with  another,  as  ye  walk?” 
Ah,  they  are  amazed  at  such  ignorance.  Why, 
it  is  the  talk  of  everybody.  It  is  the  topic  of 
the  day  everywhere  about  Jerusalem.  “Dost 
thou  sojourn  alone  in  Jerusalem,  and  knowest 
not  the  things  which  are  come  to  pass  there  in 
these  days?”  “What  things?”  the  stranger 
asks.  Ah,  these  men  are  very  earnest  in  this 
matter.  “Certainly,  if  you  would  even  have 
overheard  any  one  you  would  have  heard  of 
“The  things  concerning  Jesus  the  Nazarene, 
who  was  a  prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word 
before  God  and  all  the  people;  and  how  the 
chief  priests  and  our  rulers  delivered  him  up 
to  be  condemned  to  death,  and  crucified  him.” 
Yes,  do  these  men  falter  here?  Lo,  now  they 
wish  to  tell  this  stranger  what  interest  they 
had  in  this  sad  tragedy.  “But  we  hoped  it 
was  he  who  should  redeem  Israel.”  “Yes,  and 
certain  women  who  were  at  the  tomb  early 
this  morning  say  they  saw  a  vision  of  angels 
who  told  them  that  he  is  risen.  And  certain 


288 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


of  them  that  were  with  us  went  to  the  tomb, 
and  found  it  empty,  his  body  being  not  there, 
just  as  the  women  had  said,  but  him  they  saw 
not.” 

At  this  point  the  stranger  takes  up  the 
thread  of  the  subject  of  the  conversation  and 
begins  to  unravel  it  from  the  tangled  meshes 
of  perplexities  of  both  heart  and  reason.  He 
addresses  them  sternly  but  kindly,  even  rebuk¬ 
ing  them  for  their  slowness  of  heart,  saying, 
“ O  foolish  men,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe 
in  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken!  Be¬ 
hooved  it  not  the  Christ  to  suffer  these  things, 
and  to  enter  into  his  glory?”  The  look  of  ex¬ 
pectancy  marks  the  faces  of  these  men  as  they 
look  into  the  face  of  that  stranger  and  listen 
to  his  wonderful  words,  expounding  to  them 
the  mystery  of  the  Christ.  This  stranger  con¬ 
vinces  them  as  he  proceeds,  beginning  from 
Moses  and  from  all  the  prophets,  that  he 
has  the  secret  of  interpretation  of  all  the  scrip¬ 
tures  concerning  the  mystery  of  the  Christ, 
who  was  to  suffer  all  these  things  they  had  seen 
and  about  which  they  were  troubled  and  sad, 
and  naturally  should  enter  into  his  glory  as 
reported  by  the  vision  of  angels  to  the  women 
who  were  early  at  the  tomb. 

As  the  stranger  is  expounding  to  them  the 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  289 

way  of  the  Christ  and  they  are  amazed  at  his 
discerning  insight  as  he  talks  with  them  in 
the  way  they  draw  nigh  unto  the  village, 
whither  they  are  going.  Wrapt  in  thought 
they  are  standing  before  their  door,  but  the 
stranger  who  is  talking  with  them  is  moving 
on.  But  they  can  not  leave  this  stranger  go; 
he  is  so  interesting  and  then  it  is  near  evening. 
So  they  constrain  him,  saying,  “Abide  with  us; 
for  it  is  toward  evening,  and  the  day  is  far 
spent.”  He  goes  in  to  abide  with  them.  What 
a  welcome  they  give  this  stranger!  They  look 
forward  to  hear  more  good  things  of  him  that 
evening.  His  marvelous  wisdom  has  set  their 
cravings  on  edge.  The  evening  meal  is  spread 
and  what  a  feast  of  good  things  they  will  have 
in  the  fellowship  together  at  that  meal!  When 
he  is  sat  down  with  them  to  meat  he  takes  the 
bread  and  blesses  it;  and  breaking  it  gives  to 
them.  Their  eyes  are  open,  and  they  know 
him,  and  he  vanishes  out  of  their  sight.  What 
a  dreadful  silence  falls  all  about  that  table. 
They  are  facing  each  other  in  amazement. 
But  they  are  seeing  the  face  of  their  risen 
Lord  only.  That  awful  spell  of  solemn  si¬ 
lence!  What  can  break  it?  Can  they  find 
words  for  utterance?  They  are  speaking  one 
to  the  other,  “Was  not  our  hearts  burning 


290 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


within  us,  while  he  spake  to  us  in  the  way, 
while  he  opened  to  us  the  scriptures?” 

At  that  very  hour  they  rise  up  and  return  to 
Jerusalem,  where  they  find  the  disciples  gath¬ 
ered  together  for  strange  reports  are  current 
this  day.  Here  they  find  this  little  group  wait¬ 
ing  before  God  in  prayer.  They  who  have 
been  slow  of  heart  to  believe  in  all  the  proph¬ 
ets  have  spoken  concerning  the  sufferings  of 
the  Christ  through  which  he  must  needs  enter 
into  his  glory,  are  come  to  the  waiting  disci¬ 
ples  with  a  message  direct  from  the  lips  of  the 
risen  Lord  himself.  They  rehearse  the  things 
that  happened  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was 
known  to  them  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread. 

But  now  the  evening  is  fully  come,  and  the 
doors  are  shut  where  the  disciples  are  assem¬ 
bled,  for  fear  of  the  Jews.  They  are  waiting 
in  awe  because  of  the  strange  things  that  were 
told  the  inner  circle  during  that  first  day  of 
the  week  and  at  the  falling  of  the  shadows  of 
eventide.  As  they  wait  on  God  in  solemn 
silence  Jesus  stands  in  the  midst  of  them,  say¬ 
ing,  “Peace  be  unto  you.”  When  they  heard 
this  being  mute  with  silence,  he  showed  them 
his  hands  and  his  side.  “The  disciples  there¬ 
fore  were  glad,  when  they  saw  the  Lord.”  It 
is  a  glad  hour.  Jesus  lifts  his  hands  to  repeat 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  291 

his  benediction  upon  them,  saying,  “Peace  be 
unto  you:  as  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so 
send  I  you.”  After  joining  the  benediction 
and  the  commission,  forging  and  welding  all 
into  one  moving  spirit  of  that  little  group,  he 
breathes  upon  them,  saying,  “Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Spirit.” 

But  the  record  states  this  also,  “But  Thomas, 
one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was  not 
with  them  when  Jesus  came.”  It  is  not  strange 
that  when  the  other  disciples  meet  up  with 
him  that  they  should  tell  their  message,  “We 
have  seen  the  Lord.”  But  Thomas  has  heard 
many  such  like  reports  here  of  late.  He  has 
given  them  no  credence,  and  very  little  atten¬ 
tion.  He  is  very  positive  in  the  stand  he  has 
taken  regarding  such  tales  that  are  being  told 
even  by  men  who  ought  to  exercise  more  cau¬ 
tion  in  such  matters.  So  he  replies  that  his 
words  might  be  final  and  they  would  not  an¬ 
noy  him  further  with  such  reports.  “Except 
I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails, 
and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails, 
and  put  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  be¬ 
lieve.” 

“Thomas,  you  are  not  satisfied  with  the 
words  of  your  staunch,  tried  friends.  You 
must  investigate  for  yourself — you  must  han- 


292 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


die  and  see.  Will  Heaven  grant  the  demands 
of  this  peculiar  set  bias  of  your  nature?  It 
looks  as  though  Heaven  will  refuse  you — a 
whole  week  has  passed,  leaving  you  battling 
with  your  doubts  as  seriously  as  ever.” 

Upon  the  eighth  day  Heaven  takes  up  the 
challenge.  The  disciples  again  are  within 
the  closed  doors  but  Thomas  is  with  them  this 
time.  But  quiet  is  not  reigning  as  was  the 
case  on  the  eve  of  eight  days  ago.  There  is  a 
spirited  talk  on.  Thomas  is  in  a  heated  debate 
with  the  other  disciples,  “You  say  He  showed 
you  so  much  proof.  Eight  days  have  passed 
and  things  are  as  they  were  the  day  he  died. 
Furthermore  I  expect  the  coming  days  to  dif¬ 
fer  in  nowise  from  the  eight  days  that  have 
passed  since  the  report  was  made  current  that 
He  is  risen  from  the  dead,  except  that  these 
tales  will  cease.” 

There  is  a  hush.  A  familiar  voice  speaks 
in  a  familiar  way,  for  Jesus  is  standing  in  the 
midst,  saying,  “Peace  be  unto  you.”  Was  he 
present  when  Thomas  made  the  challenge 
eight  days  ago?  Flow  is  it  that  he  has  it  so 
exact?  “Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  see  my 
hands;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  put  it 
into  my  side:  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believ¬ 
ing.”  Thomas  answers  in  reverential  awe: 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  293 

“My  Lord  and  my  God.”  Jesus  speaks.  He 
would  not  rebuke  the  disciple  before  him  in 
worshipping  reverence,  he  simply  would  have 
him  understand  the  way  of  blessedness.  “Be¬ 
cause  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed; 
blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet 
have  believed.” 

Have  all  these  testified  that  he  is  risen.  Let 
us  hear  another  witness — let  Paul  speak  for 
himself:  “For  I  delivered  unto  you  first  of 
all  that  which  also  I  received:  that  Christ  died 
for  our  sins  according  to  the  scriptures;  and 
that  he  was  buried;  and  that  he  hath  been 
raised  on  the  third  day  according  to  the  scrip¬ 
tures;  and  that  he  appeared  to  Cephas;  then 
to  the  twelve;  then  he  appeared  to  above  five 
hundred  brethren  at  once,  of  whom  the 
greater  part  remain  until  now,  but  some  are 
fallen  asleep;  then  he  appeared  to  James; 
then  to  all  the  apostles;  and  last  of  all,  as  to 
a  child  untimely  born,  he  appeared  to  me 
also.”  | 

How  did  Paul  see  Jesus?  He  saw  the  risen 
and  glorified  Christ  that  changed  him  from 
a  relentless  and  bitter  persecutor  of  the  church 
into  the  most  faithful  and  zealous  of  the  apos¬ 
tles.  Even  on  his  way  to  make  havoc  of  the 
church,  while  he  yet  was  breathing  out  threat- 


294 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


ening  slaughter  against  the  disciples  of  Jesus, 
he  saw  the  Lord  against  whom  he  was  lifting 
his  hand  stained  with  the  blood  of  the  martyr 
Stephen.  In  whatever  form  he  saw  his  Lord 
of  this  one  thing  the  world  knows,  that  from 
that  very  hour  he  became  the  most  steadfast 
of  all  the  apostles,  and  that  through  him  Chris¬ 
tianity  broke  the  narrow  bounds  of  Judaism 
and  spread  as  an  irresistible  leaven  to  leaven 
the  whole  world.  Thus  this  man  became  the 
“Apostle  to  the  Gentiles.”  Through  this  man 
with  a  world  vision  all  subsequent  history  of 
the  church  is  changed,  and  this  was  the  very 
man  who  sought  to  wipe  the  church  from  off 
the  face  of  the  earth  before  he  saw  his  Lord. 
Where  does  he  hinge  all  his  extraordinary 
faith  that  is  responsible  for  his  unparalleled 
conduct?  Let  us  hear  him  speak,  for  we  will 
surely  grant  that  he  is  authority  in  this  matter. 
“For  if  the  dead  are  not  raised,  neither  hath 
Christ  been  raised :  and  if  Christ  hath  not  been 
raised,  your  faith  is  vain;  ye  are  yet  in  your 
sins.”  He  meets  this  irresistible  logic  by  stat¬ 
ing  what  he  knows  to  be  fact.  “But  now  hath 
Christ  been  raised  from  the  dead.”  Over  this 
fact  stern  logic  and  faith  clasp  hands  and  the 
great  Apostles  shout:  “The  first  fruits  of  them 
that  are  asleep.”  This  made  him  the  invinci- 


295 


How  He  Carrie  Forth  Again 

ble  apostle  that  he  was,  and  gave  his  message 
the  authority  that  would  brook  no  opposition 
— “Christ  lives  in  me”  seizes  the  prey  out  of 
the  jaws  of  death. 

But  there  is  the  apostle  who  before  his  Mas¬ 
ter  was  crucified  was  so  certain  that  he  was 
ready  to  go  to  death  with  him,  but  denied  with 
cursing  and  swearing  when  pressed  and  closely 
questioned  as  to  his  relation  to  the  Galilean 
prisoner  who  was  on  trial  before  Caiaphas. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  know  something  of 
him  in  this  connection.  Every  one  of  that  little 
band  left  the  foot  of  the  cross  Friday  afternoon 
with  crushed  ambitions  and  dejected  hopes, 
and  Peter  was  no  exception  mid  these  trying 
circumstances.  But  we  are  told  that  of  the 
disciples  Peter  is  second  only  to  John,  and  that 
because  the  latter  outran  him,  in  arriving  at 
the  empty  tomb  on  the  morning  of  the  third 
day.  We  are  told  that  Peter  is  the  first  to 
boldly  enter  and  investigate  the  empty  tomb. 
It  is  Peter  who  stands  up  boldly  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost  and  preaches  the  living  Christ 
so  that  as  a  result  of  that  sermon  there  are 
three  thousand  souls  added  to  them.  But  the 
most  outstanding  feature  of  all  in  the  conduct 
of  this  man  is  that  a  strict,  stringent,  strong¬ 
headed  Jew  should  utter  words  like  these: 


296 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


“Of  a  truth  I  perceive  that  God  is  no  respecter 
of  persons:  but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth 
Him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is  acceptable 
to  Him.”  This  is  a  long  way  to  come  for  a 
disciple  who  would  thrust  from  his  Master  a 
Syrophoenician  mother  who  had  come  to 
plead  in  behalf  of  her  demented  daughter. 
And  too  this  disciple  boldly  defends  his  con¬ 
duct  for  so  acting  toward  Cornelius,  a  cen¬ 
turion  of  the  Italian  band  at  Caesarea,  when 
called  to  give  an  account  of  himself  to  the 
apostles  and  brethren  of  the  Jerusalem 
Church,  saying,  “And  as  I  began  to  speak,  the 
Holy  Spirit  fell  on  them,  even  as  on  us  at  the 
beginning.”  Read  carefully  the  written  word 
and  see  whether  it  did  not  take  the  risen  Lord 
to  do  work  like  that  with  Simon  Peter  whom 
before  upon  the  testimony  of  Jesus  himself 
Satan  was  desiring  to  sift  as  wheat. 

The  Shepherd  has  been  smitten  and  the 
sheep  have  been  scattered;  but  now  the  voices 
of  these  very  men,  who  have  rallied  about  an 
empty  tomb  cannot  be  silenced  by  raging  per¬ 
secutions.  What  strange  thing  has  come  to 
pass  that  should  cast  such  a  spell  over  them 
that  would  not  wear  away;  but  grow  firmer  as 
the  devouring,  bloody  sword  entered  with  such 
havoc  among  them?  Why  should  they  catch 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  297 

the  spirit  of  the  Master  now  and  wade  through 
blood  for  Him  and  that  for  which  He  stood 
alone  when  in  earth;  when  before  (even 
though  with  Him)  they  wish  to  call  down 
fire  to  consume  insolent  Samaritans  who  re¬ 
fused  to  give  them  shelter?  How  changed? 
They  are  ready  to  die  for  Jew,  Samaritan, 
Greek,  and  Roman,  no  matter  how  hot  perse¬ 
cution  waxes.  They  lay  the  head  upon  the 
block  without  a  murmur  except  it  be  a  whis¬ 
pered  prayer  for  persecutors;  they  walk  to 
the  cross  without  offering  the  least  opposition, 
but  count  it  a  glory  to  lay  down  their  life  for 
the  Lord  Jesus.  The  prayer  of  the  martyr  for 
the  murderers  who  are  staining  their  hands 
with  the  innocent  blood — “Lord,  lay  not  this 
sin  to  their  charge,”  surely  marks  a  change 
in  the  course  of  all  things.  What  new  spirit 
has  taken  hold  of  these  men  that  they  should 
die  in  such  a  heroic — such  a  godlike  manner? 
These  men  could  fight  with  beasts,  laugh  at 
the  fagot  and  flaming  torch,  because  of  their 
faith. 

Why?  What  occurred  on  the  morning  of 
the  third  day  after  that  great  Teacher  in  Israel 
had  been  put  to  death?  No  art,  or  cunning,  or 
wisdom  can  bury  the  witness  to  this  great 
event,  for  it  is  living  all  about  us.  If  you  can 


298 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


get  a  man  big  enough  to  blow  out  the  life  of 
the  world,  he  might  blow  out  this  flame  also. 
But  until  such  a  man  is  found  this  flame  will 
spread  regardless  of  all  talks  of  the  “isms.”  If 
you  can  sweep  the  conscience  of  every  soul 
bare  you  might  sweep  this  out.  But  where  is 
the  man  that  can  scour  God  out  of  this  world 
in  this  manner?  If  that  man  is  in  this  gener¬ 
ation  let  him  come  forth  and  try  his  hand.  If 
he  can  make  good  he  will  stand  forth;  if  not 
he  must  step  back  into  the  ranks  of  the  rest  of 
the  foiled  ones  with  their  “isms.”  Whatever 
we  think  of  it,  the  question  of  the  Almighty 
to  Job  is  as  timely  and  pertinent  as  ever: 
“Shall  he  that  contendeth  with  the  Almighty 
instruct  Him?”  Truth  is  truth,  and  to  tear 
the  soul  out  of  it  is  to  tear  the  soul  out  of  the 
world.  Can  the  product  of  all  the  ages  be  up¬ 
rooted?  Can  the  heart  be  torn  out  of  this  gen¬ 
eration,  for  the  heart  is  pulsating  strong  and 
very  strong  through  the  faith  of  the  fathers 
who  went  the  blood-stained  way  of  the  cross? 
The  challenge  of  Gamaliel  is  still  open  to 
those  who  would  contend  against  this  way. 
“Ye  men  of  Israel,  take  heed  to  yourselves 
what  ye  intend  to  do  as  touching  these 
men.  .  . 

“And  now  I  say  unto  you,  refrain  from  these 


How  He  Came  Forth  Again  299 

men,  and  let  them  alone:  for  if  this  counsel 
or  this  work  be  of  men,  it  will  come  to  naught ; 
But  if  it  be  of  God,  ye  cannot  overthrow  it; 
lest  haply  ye  be  found  even  to  fight  against 
God.”  Has  the  world  seen  Gamaliel’s  judg¬ 
ment  vindicated? 

The  world  will  outgrow  much;  but  it  can¬ 
not  outgrow  its  soul.  Christ  breathes  his  spirit 
of  loving  service  and  of  unselfish  devotion  to 
the  truth  into  man  and  man  becomes  a  living 
soul — a  new  creature  fashioning  into  the  like¬ 
ness  of  the  Son  of  God  Himself. 

On  Olive’s  sunlit  crown  the  little  group  is 
assembled  and  the  Master  is  in  the  midst. 
There  he  renews  the  promise  to  them,  saying, 
“Ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  come  upon  you.”  In  the  full  beam 
of  light  out  of  the  great  promise  he  charges 
them  with  the  great  commission,  saying,  “Go 
ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father 
and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit.”  He 
closes  the  greatj  charge  with  another  great 
promise  which  is  a  radiant  beam  of  white 
light — “Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world.”  He  lifts  his  hands 
to  pray  his  benediction  upon  them  as  he  was 
wont  to  do,  but  this  time  he  was  received  into  a 


300 


The  Silent  Nazar ene 


cloud  out  of  their  sight. 

They  must  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight. 
Faith  must  be  as  actual  as  sight  if  they  are  to 
plant  this  “new  teaching”  in  the  hearts  of  men. 
To  have  dynamic  to  do  effectual  work  they 
must  be  in  living  unity  with  the  Master  they 
knew.  As  Paul  interprets,  saying,  “I  have 
been  crucified  with  Christ;  and  it  is  no  longer 
I  that  live,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me;  and  that 
life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I  live  in 
faith,  the  faith  which  is  in  the  Son  of  God, 
who  loved  me,  and  gave  himself  up  for  me.” 
Christ’s  grip  on  the  life  of  God  wells  up  in 
the  life  of  Paul.  Christ  is  God  living  in  Paul. 
Christ  is  all  Paul  knows  of  God.  Christ  by 
his  supreme  faith  translates  God  into  the 
heart  of  his  disciple  by  living  in  the  heart. 
Hence  the  creed,  and  the  only  creed  “every 
tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord/'  He  is  God  for  us.  Even  as  the  Teach¬ 
er  has  made  plain  to  us  that  he  is  our  Lord, 
saying,  “Neither  doth  any  man  know  the 
Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever 
the  Son  willeth  to  reveal  him.” 


Theologica  Seminary  Libraries 


1  1012  01197  0490 


sun 


-fiiH 


innu 


wmm 

mui 

r  liiif lili«2c 

8kkkk!Bm$  I 

|r 

i  Hgmffl 

i  ’Crlrr 

H 

>:i; 

■  \(  ,[■  ,••'••• 

ninjoij(]f)v|orw 

) '  < 

nfv 

life 

jii 

yiii  ia>i 

(Jj 

5b{; 

H 

‘  ?wy 

luLilinfirlcnnjl 

lBfiliiUjIlIKfl 

I 

BB 

felfi 


•v>t 


Hfij 


Mi 


ISOS 


H  m 


fifi 


m 


iii 


